William Petit lost his first wife and two children in a horrific home invasion and arson seven years ago. He can't help but fear a similar fate for his new wife and child.
The 58-year-old Connecticut man married his new wife Christine in 2012 and the couple welcomed their first child, William Petit III, on Nov. 23, 2013. He still struggles with the brutal events that occurred to his first family.
“I used to have awful weeks and awful days. Now, most of the time, it's awful minutes and hours," Petit told the Hartford Courant.
Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, recently paroled convicts, attacked Petit and his family in their home on July 23, 2007. First, the ex-cons tied up Petit and brutally beat him.
They then placed his wife Jennifer and two daughters, Michaela and Hayley, in separate rooms. Hayes and Komisajevsky forced Jennifer to withdraw $15,000 from her bank account before raping and strangling her. They also sexually assaulted Michaela.
The intruders finally doused their victims in gasoline and set the house on fire. Petit managed to escape his restraints and ran to a neighbor's home to call for help. He was the only survivor.
“All of a sudden you're down the slippery slope and you're back there, which is terrible," Petit said about reliving that day over and over.
"That happened last night while I was thinking about the [William Petit III]. Racing thoughts, thinking what if something happens to the baby? What would you do? What would you think? And then I'm thinking about Michaela, thinking about Hayley, thinking about Jennifer. My brain is just thinking all of these terrible memories."
In the aftermath, Petit received many generous monetary donations, which he used to establish The Petit Family Foundation. The organization carries on the legacy of his wife and two daughters and “the kindness, idealism and activism that defined their lives,” according to its mission statement.
“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,” Petit said. “I want their lives to go forward, and I want to be able to pay it forward for them.”
