Does the Book “In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood” Violate Gag Orders?
Posted By Irene C. Olszewski, Esq. on October 12, 2009
A book about the 2007 murders of the Petit family (Cheshire, Connecticut) is accused killer Joshua Komisarjevsky’s account of what happened the night he and alleged co-conspirator, Steve Hayes, brutally murdered Jennifer Hawke Petit and her two children and injured Dr. William Petit, before setting their home on fire.
The case has not yet been fully adjudicated. Does publication of this book, written by author Brian McDonald, violate the court-imposed gag order? Will it impact the juries ultimately impaneled to reach verdicts in the upcoming trials? I can’t help but wonder.
“In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood” was released by St. Martin’s True Crime in September.
Click here to view the WFSB-TV news report.
[Source: The Hartford Courant article “Book Details Komisarjevsky's Version Of Cheshire Murders” by Dave Altimari via courant.com]
Update: On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, the case was back in court but the judge failed to rule on the issue of whether or not Komisarjevsky violated the gag order.
Update: 10/22/09. The Library Board in Cheshire, Connecticut is hearing public opinion on whether or not the book should be circulated in its libraries. See the Hartford Courant article: Library Hears Concerns Over Cheshire Book
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Disclaimer: The information, comments and links posted on the blog do not constitute legal advice. I will not respond to any specific legal questions in the comments section of this blog. Read my entire disclaimer.
copyright 2009 Irene C. Olszewsk
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