'It never goes away': Husband who survived horror home invasion which killed his wife and daughters reveals how he's haunted by fear he can't protect his new family

  • Dr. William Petit lost his first family in 2007 when two men broke into his Connecticut home and eventually killed everyone but him
  • Petit now has a new family and in a rare interview recently revealed the inner anguish he says will never fully recede
  • The 58-year-old has nearly ran for Congress this year and runs a charity in memory of his slain wife and daughters 

By Josh Gardner for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

The Connecticut doctor whose family was mercilessly killed in a 2007 home invasion has given a rare interview in which he reveals his lifelong torment over the incident and what it means for his new family, including his baby son.

Dr. William Petit, who was savagely beaten before his wife was strangled and left to burn in their home with their 17- and 11-year-old daughters, says he now can't shake the fear that something terrible could happen to 10-month-old William Petit III.

'What if something happens to the baby? What would you do? What would you think,' he told the Hartford Courant in an interview published Sunday. 'You want to feel like it didn't happen. But after a while, then you realize it never goes away.'

Sorting through trauma: Pictured here with his Now 10-month-old son, Petit says he sometimes succumbs to fears that his new family could be harmed the way his last one was

Sorting through trauma: Pictured here with his Now 10-month-old son, Petit says he sometimes succumbs to fears that his new family could be harmed the way his last one was

One day at a time: Now remarried to wife Christine, right, Petit says getting out of bed was almost impossible in the initial months after his daughters and wife were ruthlessly slain

One day at a time: Now remarried to wife Christine, right, Petit says getting out of bed was almost impossible in the initial months after his daughters and wife were ruthlessly slain

The interview was a rare glimpse inside the mind of a man who's been to hell and back.

It was a harrowing journey that began in 2007 when Petit and his family were held hostage for hours at their Cheshire, Connecticut home before it was set alight by invaders Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky.

Dr Petit was severely beaten and dumped in the basement as his daughters Michaela, 11, Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds.

After the 11-year-old was raped and her mother raped and strangled to death, the intruders set the home ablaze and left all but Petit dead.

'I used to have awful weeks and awful days. Now, most of the time, it's awful minutes and hours,' Petit, who married his current wife Christine in 2012, told the Courant.

Horrific: Dr Petit (right) was severely beaten and dumped in the basement as his daughters Michaela, 11, Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds only to be killed via smoke inhalation when their captors set alight their Connecticut home after raping and strangling their mother, Jennifer 

Horrific: Dr Petit was severely beaten and dumped in the basement as his daughters Michaela, 11, Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds only to be killed via smoke inhalation when their captors set alight their Connecticut home after raping and strangling their mother, Jennifer 

'What if something happens to the baby? What would you do? What would you think,' Petit revealed. 'You want to feel like it didn't happen. But after a while, then you realize it never goes away'

'What if something happens to the baby? What would you do? What would you think,' Petit revealed. 'You want to feel like it didn't happen. But after a while, then you realize it never goes away'

Petit describes a time, back when things were at their toughest, when he had little more keeping him going than the solace that came from the kindness of strangers.

'Right in the aftermath, there was money pouring in from multiple sources from all 50 states, overseas, everywhere,' said Petit, who started a charity in his family's names. 'I was blessed to have so much support,'

Petit quit practicing medicine after his harrowing ordeal to focus solely on the non-profit, though in the beginning it wasn't always easy. 

'I was dazed, semifunctional,' he told the Courant. 'I pretty much couldn't get through the meetings without crying.'

The years since have been a slow crawl towards normalcy for Petit. While his new life has been a godsend, he says its sometimes difficult not to fear for their safety now, too.

'That happened last night while I was thinking about the baby,' he said. 'And then I'm thinking about Michaela, thinking about Hayley, thinking about Jennifer. My brain is just thinking all of these terrible memories.'

Still, Petit is in the business of keeping the memory of his past family alive even if it's difficult sometimes.

'I don't want people to forget Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela, and I want some good to come because they would have done an awful lot of good if they had lived their natural lives. I want their lives to go forward, and I want to be able to pay it forward for them,' he told the Courant.

The family's horrific end came when Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky spotted Mrs Hawke-Petit at a supermarket and followed her to her home in Cheshire, Connecticut, where they tied up the family.

Both Michaela and her sister, Hayley, were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation after the men doused the home with gas and set it on fire.

Both Hayes and Komisarjevsky were convicted and sentenced to death.

Horrifying: Dr. William Petit Jr.(left) with his daughters Michaela, (front), Hayley, (back left), and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit. In June 2007. Petit was beaten and his wife and two daughters killed during a home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut

Happier times: 'I don't want people to forget Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela, and I want some good to come because they would have done an awful lot of good if they had lived their natural lives. I want their lives to go forward, and I want to be able to pay it forward for them,' Petit told the Hartford Courant

Shocking: Hayes raped and strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit. Her daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, died of smoke inhalation after they were doused with gasoline and the house was set on fire

'My brain is just thinking all of these terrible memories': A photo from the crime scene shows the extent of the blaze set by Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, which killed Petit's family

A photo from the crime scene shows the extent of the blaze set by Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, which killed Petit's family

Shocking: Hayes raped and strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit. Her daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, died of smoke inhalation after they were doused with gasoline and the house was set on fire

On death row: Petit and his family were held hostage for hours at their Cheshire, Connecticut home before it was set alight by invaders Steven Hayes (left) and Joshua Komisarjevsky (right)
On death row: Petit and his family were held hostage for hours at their Cheshire, Connecticut home before it was set alight by invaders Steven Hayes (left) and Joshua Komisarjevsky (right)

On death row: Petit and his family were held hostage for hours at their Cheshire, Connecticut home before it was set alight by invaders Steven Hayes (left) and Joshua Komisarjevsky (right)

 

 

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