Triple Murderer Hayes Welcomes Death Sentence

Steven Hayes, convicted in the brutal triple murder of a mother and her two daughters, learned his fate in a Connecticut courtroom today: He'll be executed on May 27, 2011. Among the quotes in the Hartford Courant coverage of the sentencing:

• Hayes: "I am tormented and have nightmares about what happened in that house. Death will be a welcome relief."
• Surviving husband/father William Petit: "I had spent every waking moment, and there were plenty, thinking of that night and replaying everything that occurred over and over again."

• Hayes: "I oftentimes looked at Dr. Petit and became sick to my stomach knowing what he has been through and what he continues to go through to this day."
• Petit: "I seriously considered suicide many times."
• The judge: "This is a terrible sentence, but it is a sentence you wrote for yourself."
• Hayes: "I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused."
• Petit, speaking of his wife: "We were best friends."

(More Steven Hayes stories.)