She Only Knew him for 31 days, Four years ago.

[DawnCt1]

And now she is the recipient of harassing phone calls and a threatening email. She didn't have a choice. She was subpoenaed. The defense is so desperate to save Steven Hayes, the convicted murderer from the death penalty, that they had to look back 4 years ago to find someone who perhaps thought he was human at the time. I feel bad for this woman. She had no choice. Its a long article. Click to read the entire thing, but this is basically the gist of it.

The trouble started shortly after West Hartford restaurateur Christiane Gehami left the witness stand.

Internet posts at the end of news stories about her testimony in the trial of triple-murderer Steven Hayes urged a boycott of Gehami's restaurant. There were harassing telephone calls. A threatening e-mail that she received was so frightening, she said, that she called police.

Gehami had an unenviable role in Hayes' trial: testifying for the defense of a man facing the death penalty for one of the state's most brutal crimes in recent history. The highly publicized home-invasion killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela Petit, have stirred widespread outrage and reignited the debate about capital punishment in Connecticut.

A court-ordered subpoena forced Gehami to the witness stand Oct. 18, the first day of the penalty phase in Hayes' trial. Testimony will resume this morning at Superior Court in New Haven.

"I wondered how they were going to use me to try to show a shred of humanity in this monster to keep him from the death penalty when I didn't even want to be there in the first place," said Gehami, 54.

A defendant in a criminal case has a constitutional right to subpoena witnesses. And although there are many reasons that a prospective witness may contest a subpoena, not wanting to help a particular defendant is not one of them.

M.H. Reese Norris, a veteran defense attorney, said he appreciates Gehami's predicament. "I think it would be tough to be a defense witness in a case with such strong public sentiment and in a case involving a crime that is so monstrous," Norris said.

Norris said that people unfamiliar with the legal system might not realize that just because someone is subpoenaed, it does not mean that person believes the defendant should be spared the death penalty.

"I feel bad for her," Norris said. "But the defense has a right to subpoena witnesses. She had to testify or face contempt-of-court charges. She had no choice."

http://www.courant.com/community/ch...s-witness-1025-20101024,0,6119440,print.story

 

[Robinrs]

Are these people relatives of yours, Dawn?

 

[TimeforMe]

I'm sure this happens quite often albeit not in such a public case. I don't quite get your point. I read the link you provided and it seems to me that she said more (good) about him than was absolutely necessary. I'm curious as to how they even found her as a witness for his defense......

 

[Heidict]

Hopefully her restaurant business won't suffer to much. However, I'm sure that there will be some uninformed people who will refuse to go in there. It doesn't seem right that they should be allowed to subpeona people in the penalty phase. It will pass though and people will forget about her role in the penalty phase of the trail

Robin, I don't believe Dawn is related to the Petit's or any of the defendants or witnesses, but this is a big story up here. It is on all the front pages and the leading story on all the newscasts.

 

[DawnCt1]

Are these people relatives of yours, Dawn?

No. This is a huge story, nationwide and especially in Ct. When court is in session, it is front page news, above the fold. I can't imagine that there is one person in Ct and for 500 miles around that isn't very aware of this. Even those who hate the death penalty want to do away with Steven Hayes, and Joshua Komisarchevsky, when he is tried and found guilty next year. He will be found guilty.

 

[DawnCt1]

I'm sure this happens quite often albeit not in such a public case. I don't quite get your point. I read the link you provided and it seems to me that she said more (good) about him than was absolutely necessary. I'm curious as to how they even found her as a witness for his defense......

I think that she had to answer the exact questions that were ask of her and volunteer nothing else. She could only respond to what was asked of her with regard to his behavior four years ago. Four years ago he was a petty thief, a burglar, and loser but he wasn't a murderer and rapist.

 

[terri01p]

 

[scrapquitler]

I have been trying very hard not to follow the news about this case, it is far too disturbing to me, the whole thing is way too close to home (we live in the next town over, and I frequently shop in that Stop and Shop where those monsters abducted Jennifer or decided to follow her or whatever).

Unfortunately this witness was put in a bad position, she had to testify, she didn't have a choice. It didn't sound to me like she made him out to be a saint, but she had to tell the truth. Just because SHE may have had a reasonable, polite, interaction with Hayes doesn't mean he isn't a monster. Even Hitler probably seemed like a nice guy in limited situations for short periods of time.

Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get to testify about Komasarjevsky in his trial, with the comment about his dead eyes and making her hair stand on end.

The people boycotting her restaurant, well that's just ridiculous.

 

[gris gris]

I didn't read the whole article but I heard about this on a radio talk show in CT and they said she hired people who needed help getting back on their feet. Does the article mention this? I feel so badly for her, trying to help people out and then having to go through this years later.

 

[Holly]

I feel bad for her too.

She was trying to do the right thing and now people are all crazy-acting.


I loathe Steven Hayes but if someone knew him years ago and was subpeonaed, I wouldn't want that person to make up lies about how bad he was when he really wasn't.

His recent actions are enough.

 

[Angelhalo]

No. This is a huge story, nationwide and especially in Ct. When court is in session, it is front page news, above the fold. I can't imagine that there is one person in Ct and for 500 miles around that isn't very aware of this. Even those who hate the death penalty want to do away with Steven Hayes, and Joshua Komisarchevsky, when he is tried and found guilty next year. He will be found guilty.

Not trying to be obtuse because it is a heartwrenching story, but I hadn't heard about it here in Charlotte until you made a post about it on the DIS. Your threads and posts about it are all I have seen about it. Just didn't want anyone to think that anyone in the entire US who hadn't heard the story was some sort of recluse or whackadoo. Down here, everything is all about Zahra Baker.

 

[nskjerven]

Not trying to be obtuse because it is a heartwrenching story, but I hadn't heard about it here in Charlotte until you made a post about it on the DIS. Your threads and posts about it are all I have seen about it. Just didn't want anyone to think that anyone in the entire US who hadn't heard the story was some sort of recluse or whackadoo. Down here, everything is all about Zahra Baker.

and oddly enough I have no idea who Zahra Baker is - but I'm very aware of the Petit story. It was national news when it happened. Maybe it's just the day or week you hear the story???

going to google Zahra Baker now - no need to update me here.

edited to add my mistake I knew both stories just not the name of the last.

 

[Becky2005]

I do feel sorry for her. It stinks to be a witness in a situation where you have really nothing relevant to say yet you get to be the one beat up on the stand and you have no choice since you are subpoenaed. If you have never been in that position, it's not something someone would choose to do but most people would prefer that than going to jail by not doing it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I have absolutely no idea what this is about.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Oh, the home invasion story. Yeah, I just don't pay attention to names involved.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Not trying to be obtuse because it is a heartwrenching story, but I hadn't heard about it here in Charlotte until you made a post about it on the DIS. Your threads and posts about it are all I have seen about it. Just didn't want anyone to think that anyone in the entire US who hadn't heard the story was some sort of recluse or whackadoo. Down here, everything is all about Zahra Baker.

The Petit story has been widely publicized in the 2 years since it happened. News casts, news papers. I think it even made the cover of People magazine at least 3 times.

My heart just bleeds for Dr. Petit. It is such a sad sad story. The pictures of those girls and the video of the mom at the bank is so hard to watch. Dr. Petit is a very strong individual. I don't think I would have the strength to carry on as he did.

As far as the woman, I feel bad for her. She had no choice. And did what she had to or she'd be sitting in jail/.

 

[DawnCt1]

Not trying to be obtuse because it is a heartwrenching story, but I hadn't heard about it here in Charlotte until you made a post about it on the DIS. Your threads and posts about it are all I have seen about it. Just didn't want anyone to think that anyone in the entire US who hadn't heard the story was some sort of recluse or whackadoo. Down here, everything is all about Zahra Baker.

I have been following that tragic story as well. I watch Fox and Friends in the morning, and they have covered it extensively and frequently. Also, our local radio news has covered it.

 

[DawnCt1]

The Petit story has been widely publicized in the 2 years since it happened. News casts, news papers. I think it even made the cover of People magazine at least 3 times.

My heart just bleeds for Dr. Petit. It is such a sad sad story. The pictures of those girls and the video of the mom at the bank is so hard to watch. Dr. Petit is a very strong individual. I don't think I would have the strength to carry on as he did.

As far as the woman, I feel bad for her. She had no choice. And did what she had to or she'd be sitting in jail/.

I read the Courant every morning and about two weeks ago, Dr. Petit, the Petit and Hawke families had a memorial to Haley on what would have been her 21st birthday. Every day they live this, whether they are in the court room or just living their lives. Heartbreaking.

 

[Angelhalo]

The Petit story has been widely publicized in the 2 years since it happened. News casts, news papers. I think it even made the cover of People magazine at least 3 times.

I'm sure it has.

I'm just saying we haven't heard much about it here at all. A blurb here and there. I asked some people in my office about it and none of them knew what I was talking about.

I'm not saying anything bad about anyone, no negativity. Just didn't want the poster who didn't know about it, to think that any of us who know little or nothing about it must be some sort of wingnuts or people living under a rock never watching the news. It just hasn't been talked about much here, that's all.

 

[Deb in IA]

Wasn't she cross-examined by the prosecution?

If so, why didn't they point out the facts that:
1. She was not there of her own accord. She was subpoenead.
2. She only knew him for 31 days 4 years ago.
3. She has not maintained any contact or relationship with the defendant since that time.