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- [00:01]
Vanessa Richardson
Hi there, it's Vanessa Richardson. Crime House is your go to destination for the most gripping true crime shows. On my show, Killer Minds. Join me and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels for two new episodes as we dive into the twisted story of the doctor Death serial killer Michael Swango. Craving more deep dives into the minds of the world's most dangerous killers. Follow Killer Minds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen. This is Crime House. During the week of July 21, 2007, two men broke into the Pettit family's home in Cheshire, Connecticut. By the end of the night, three of the four members of the Pettit family lay dead. Decades earlier, in 1946, an attacker broke into the Logan family home in Flower Hill, Long Island. In this case, two people lost their lives. Making this week's theme home invasions. Welcome to Crime House the Show. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Every Monday we'll be reading revisiting notorious crimes from this week in history, from serial killers to mysterious disappearances or murders. Every episode will explore stories that share a common theme. Each week we'll cover two stories, one further in the past and one more rooted in the present here at Crime House. We know none of this would be possible without you, our community. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show wherever you get your podcasts and for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. Today's theme is home invasions. We'll start Today's episode in 2007 on the night when the Pettit family's charmed life turned into a nightmare. Then we'll go back several decades to 1946, when the Logan family was torn apart by a merciless attacker. But both families were well off, led comfortable lives, and lived in communities that were supposed to be safe. But today's stories show that no one is immune from violence and tragedy can still strike in the place you feel most secure.
- [02:58]
Kristen Bell
Hi, I'm Kristen Bell, and if you know my husband Dax, then you also know he loves shopping for a car. Selling a car, not so much.
- [03:05]
Vanessa Richardson
We're really doing.
- [03:06]
Kristen Bell
Thankfully, Carvana makes it easy. Answer a few questions, put in your VIN or license and done. We sold ours in minutes this morning and they'll come pick it up and pay us this afternoon.
- [03:17]
Vanessa Richardson
Goodbye, Truckee.
- [03:18]
Kristen Bell
Of course, we kept the favorite.
- [03:22]
Vanessa Richardson
Hello other Truckee.
- [03:23]
Kristen Bell
Sell your car with Carvana today. Terms and conditions apply.
- [03:28]
Unknown
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- [04:06]
Vanessa Richardson
For The Pettit family July 22, 2007 was an average Sunday. There was 50 year old Dr. Bill Pettit Jr. An endocrinologist and his 48 year old wife Jennifer, who suffered from multiple sclerosis but still worked as an oncology nurse. Together they had two daughters. For the time being, they were enjoying a nice summer day before the chaos of back to school in the fall. 11 year old Michaela was about to start the sixth grade. Meanwhile, 17 year old Haley was heading off to Dartmouth for college. From there she hoped to follow in her father's footsteps and go on to medical school. The Pettits were the kind of family who seemed like they had everything, including a beautiful home in Cheshire, Connecticut. It was a quiet town, the kind of place people move to when they want to feel safe. On that summer day, the family went to church together. In the morning before splitting up, Bill went golfing with his father. Meanwhile, Jennifer and the girls went to the beach, then to the local grocery store to buy ingredients for family dinner. They had no idea that they were being watched outside the grocery store. Two men had zeroed in on Jennifer and the girls. They were 44 year old Steven Hayes and 26 year old Joshua Commissar Jefferson. Each had long records of non violent crimes, mostly burglaries, and at the time they were both on parole. They'd met the year before at a drug treatment center. Most people went there to get better. Instead, Stephen and Joshua doubled down on a life of crime and now they were about to escalate far beyond theft. Stephen and Joshua followed Jennifer and the girls home, taking in the luxurious neighborhood the Pettits lived in. They decided to take some of that luxury for themselves. Steven seemed especially excited to put their plan into motion that night. He could barely control his anticipation as he and Joshua texted about it. Meanwhile, back at the Petit house, the family enjoyed their dinner. Afterward, Jennifer and the girls watched TV in the family room while Bill retreated to the sun room and he laid on the couch and read the newspaper until he dozed off. By 10pm everyone was asleep. It was the peaceful calm before a terrible storm. Because Stephen and Joshua were lurking outside, watching and waiting. They finally made their move at 3am letting themselves in through an unlocked door to the basement. But they weren't content to sneak in and out. They wanted to hurt the Pettits too. When Stephen and Joshua crept upstairs, they saw a baseball bat leaning against the railing. Joshua grabbed it and they tiptoed into the sunroom where Bill Pettit was still asleep on the couch. Joshua viciously beat Bill within an inch of his life. Then the two invaders dragged him down to the basement where they tied him to a pole. At this point Bill was barely conscious. All he remembered was that one of his attackers said, quote, if he moves, put two bullets in him. After that, Stephen and Joshua went back upstairs. There, Jennifer, Haley and Michaela were dragged from their beds. Stephen and Joshua tied them up and threw pillowcases over their heads. Then they sexually assaulted Jennifer. With everyone restrained, the intruders moved on to ransack the house. Stephen and Joshua found some cash and valuables, but it wasn't enough. So they came up with an idea to get more. It meant waiting about six hours until the banks opened. In the meantime, Stephen grabbed two empty containers from the house and headed to a nearby gas station. He filled both cans with gas and then returned to the Pettit home. He didn't do anything with the cans yet, but it was clear he and Joshua weren't planning to leave any evidence behind. Around 9am Stephen untied Jennifer and drove her to a nearby bank. He told her to go inside and withdraw $15,000. If she didn't do as he said. Stephen threatened to murder Jennifer's entire family. But Jennifer didn't listen. When she made the withdrawal, she quietly told the bank teller that men were holding her family hostage and threatening to kill them all. The teller took the threat seriously and immediately alerted the bank manager who called 91 1. Meanwhile, Jennifer left with the money and got back in the car so Stephen and Joshua wouldn't get suspicious. Tragically, things broke down from there. Apparently Jennifer had seemed overly calm when she explained the situation. So instead of rushing over to the Pettit's house, the police decided to form a perimeter around the area instead. It would prove to be a terrible mistake. While Jennifer and Stephen were out at the bank, Joshua sexually assaulted 11 year old Michaela. He even took pictures of the act with his phone. And the violence of only continued from there. After Jennifer and Steven got back with the money, Steven raped Jennifer, then strangled her to death. All of this happened during the 30 minutes that the police were assessing the situation. Stephen and Joshua had no idea the authorities had been alerted, but they weren't planning on sticking around any longer. With Haley and Michaela still restrained, the two assailants were poured gasoline all over them, their beds and the entire house. Then they set everything on fire in the basement. Bill was still alive, drifting in and out of consciousness. He'd managed to free himself from the pole, although his legs were still restrained. As the house filled with smoke and flames, Bill hopped, crawled, and clawed his way up the stairs and and out of the house. But he was too late to save anyone else. All Bill could do was watch as his home burned down with his family inside.
- [10:58]
Unknown
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- [12:00]
Vanessa Richardson
On July 22, 2007, an average summer day turned into a hellish nightmare for the Pettit family of Cheshire, Connecticut. Two men, Stephen Hayes and Joshua Commissar Jefsky broke into their home, beat them, robbed them and assaulted them. Then, in an attempt to destroy the evidence, the intruders set the entire house ablaze. Police had been alerted to the burglary, but more than 30 minutes passed before they decided to follow state protocol and set up a discrete perimeter of cruisers around the Petit's home. They didn't think to send a fire truck until they saw smoke rising from the house. Stephen and Joshua tried to flee the scene in the Pettit's suv, though they didn't make it far. They ran right into the police's perimeter, slamming into a patrol car just a block from the house. But by then the damage was done. Firefighters were on the scene within 10 minutes. But they were too late to save Bill Pettit's loved ones. Jennifer had been strangled before the intruder started the fire. And Michaela and Haley had died from smoke inhalation. And although Bill Pettit survived, his ordeal was far from over. Following Stephen and Joshua's arrest, they were charged with a long list of crimes. Murder, burglary, kidnapping, sexual assault and more. More than three years passed before the case went to trial. In 2010, 47 year old Stephen Hayes was tried first. The proceedings were emotionally charged. Bill Pettit had spent the last few years trying to heal physically and emotionally. And now he was determined to make sure the men who destroyed his family faced justice. He took the stand and relived that painful night in front of the entire courtroom. When the jury was shown pictures from the autopsies, some of them wiped away tears. Stephen admitted his role in the crimes, although he denied that he'd been planning that much violence. In a jailhouse interview, he said, to this day, I don't know why it happened. I just wanted to money, that's all I was looking for. He claimed that he and Joshua had planned to leave after Jennifer got the money from the bank. But according to Steven, things changed once he found out that Joshua had sexually assaulted 11 year old Michaela. After that, he said, chaos took over leading to Jennifer's murder and the house being set on fire. Steven's excuses didn't change anything though. In the end he was convicted of 16 out of 17 charges. They included capital felony murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and burglary. He was given the death penalty. A year later in 2011, it was 31 year old Joshua Komisarjevsky's turn to face justice. Like Stephen, Joshua claimed that it was his partner who escalated the violence. According to Joshua, Stephen had insisted, insisted on killing the Pettits. But again, it didn't matter to the jury. Joshua was found guilty on 17 charges. And like Stephen, his crimes qualified him for execution, something Bill Pettit very much supported. But at the time there was a lot of debate in Connecticut about capital punishment. And when it was Joshua's turn to be sentenced, the outcome was up in the the air. The prosecution made its case first playing Joshua's taped confession. It was clear he didn't regret his actions. In the video, Joshua casually described his heinous crimes, even laughing about what he'd done. Joshua's lawyers didn't try to dispute his crimes, but they argued that Joshua was a man shaped by his traumatic past. They revealed that when he was a child. Joshua had been repeatedly sexually abused by a foster brother, and his strict ultra religious parents had never gotten him psychological help. The attorney's pleas didn't work. In the end, Joshua was also sentenced to death. However, neither man was executed in 2000. In 2015, the Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the death penalty. As a result, Stephen and Joshua's sentences were commuted to life in prison. And although Bill Pettit didn't get his wish to see them pay the ultimate price for their crimes, he didn't give in to despair. Instead, he channeled his grief into a new purpose. He started the Pettit Family foundation in memory of Jennifer and Haley and Michaela. In the three years following the murders, the foundation raised over $1.4 million in their honor. Haley had planned to go to medical school, and Jennifer had been a nurse who lived with Ms. As a tribute to them, Bill put the funds toward educating women in stem people with chronic illness and victims of violence. There's no changing what happened that terrible morning, and there's no denying the impact that those events had. The crimes known as the Cheshire Murders sparked fierce debate over the death penalty. They turned two petty criminals into monsters and a father into a symbol of unimaginable endurance. The absence of the petted women still echoes today in their families and in their community. And nothing, no verdict, no sentence can truly measure what was taken from them. Coming up, another terrifying home invasion that resulted in unimaginable violence.
- [18:21]
Peyton Moreland
Are you ready to dive into the unknown? Join me, Peyton Moreland, on Into the Dark, the true crime podcast from Ono Media, with a hint of horror and mystery. Each week I dive into a different case, breaking down the facts and pondering the age old why do people do what they do? Now, sometimes the answer isn't so clear, and that's why I'll also explore conspiracy theories, hauntings, and all things spooky. From the Green River Killer to the Mothman incident. We will unravel all of the cool questions that keep us up at night. So don't miss out. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Into the Dark, where true crime meets the eerie Unknown.
- [19:11]
Vanessa Richardson
On July 24, 1946, 60 years before the Pettit family's nightmare began, a different family experience experienced something tragically similar. William John Logan had done well for himself. After graduating From Princeton in 1913, he made his fortune as vice president of the Central Hanover bank and Trust Company. He married a woman named Marjorie Church, and they had a daughter, Marjorie Jean. But William was much More than a businessman, he was deeply involved in his community as well. After moving to the affluent town of Flower Hill on Long island, he served multiple terms as mayor in the 1930s. He also liked to keep his mind active. Following his retirement from the bank in 1941, the 50 year old still kept one foot in the business world. By 1946, the Logan's were living comfortably in a 20 room Georgian mansion. The grand red brick home was set on two acres in an exclusive pocket of Long Island. A place where wealth met privacy and where, like the Pettits, they probably believed they were safe. On the morning of July 24, 1946, William was away on business in New York city. Meanwhile, his 52 year old wife and 26 year old daughter were at home and going about their normal routines. As was their housekeeper, Mrs. Della Bra, who was in her quarters at the rear of the property. None of the women knew they were about to have company. His name was ward caraway. The 23 year old was a former soldier from North Carolina who'd been dishonorably discharged for stealing. Since that time he and his expecting wife had found work as domestic employees at a different estate less than a half mile away. Ward was familiar with the area. He knew what kind of families lived in Flower Hill. He knew how wealthy they were. And he figured they had more than enough to spare. Just after 10:30am on the 24th, Ward entered the Logan estate. But what followed was far worse than a simple robbery. As he slipped into the living room, ward came upon Mrs. Logan and demanded money. His eyes seemed wide and vacant like he was in a daze. He held a nickel plated pistol to make it clear that he meant business. But if Mrs. Logan was scared by a strange man with an unsettling gaze breaking into her house and shaking her down, she didn't show it. She stayed calm and called upstairs to her daughter. Mrs. Logan didn't mention that there was a burglar in the house. She just asked Marjorie for $10 saying it was to settle a debt. She figured that would be enough to send the intruder on his way. Marjorie had no idea there was someone else in the house. So she tossed the money downstairs and didn't think any more of it. A few moments later she heard a gunshot downstairs. Ward Caraway had fired his pistol and killed Mrs. Logan with a single bullet to the head. After that he went up to find Marjorie holding her at gunpoint. He asked the 26 year old for more money. He said that was all he wanted. He was lying. After Marjorie gave Ward the cash. He ordered her into her parents bedroom and told her to undress. Then, still pointing the gun at Marjorie, he sexually assaulted her. Afterward, he shot Marjorie, hitting her in the left cheek. She survived and when she tried to run, Ward shot her again, this time in the back of the neck. After that, Ward finally left the house. But Marjorie Jean Logan wasn't dead. Bleeding and in shock, she managed to escape out the back. She ran to a neighbor's house and called for help, but a barking dog scared her off. So she tried another house, but no one answered her desperate pleas. Finally, she found a painter working on a nearby home. He saw the state she was in and knew she needed urgent medical attention. So he got her into his car and started to drive her to a doctor. As they sped toward the hospital, Marjorie spotted Ward Caraway boldly walking down the road. She pointed him out to the painter, but knowing Ward was armed and dangerous, she told him to keep on driving. The painter didn't argue with her. As he drove off, he saw Ward vanish into the woods. By the time authorities arrived at the scene, their suspect was already long gone. On July 24, 1946, the Logan family was violently attacked at their Flower Hill, Long island home. While 54 year old William Logan was out on business, his 52 year old wife, Marjorie Church and their 26 year old daughter Marjorie Jean were shot by an intruder, Ward Caraway. Mrs. Logan sadly died at the scene, but her daughter survived. Immediately following the break in and shooting, a helpful painter rushed Marjorie to the hospital where doctors were able to save her life in the aftermath. In the aftermath of the crime, the Nassau County Police Department dedicated incredible resources to catching the killer. 100 detectives and uniformed officers were dispatched to calm the entire neighborhood. They blocked off roads, scoured hedgerows and canvassed just about every mansion and carriage house across the shrub lined streets of Long Island's North Shore Bay. Based on Marjorie's description, they knew the suspect was a tall young black man, 6 foot 1, slim, no more than 150 pounds. He had a soft voice and a dramatic pompadour hairstyle flipped up in the front. By late afternoon, nearly 200 individuals had been questioned, but none of them were able to point the police in the right direction. A killer was on the loose in one of the wealthiest enclaves in the state and nobody knew who he was or where he'd gone. As it turned out, the answer was uncomfortably close to home. In the days following the attack, a woman named Mrs. Rose started to develop a frightening theory. Mrs. Rose lived only A half mile from the Logans. And she realized that the new butler she'd recently hired, Ward Caraway, perfectly matched the suspect's description. However, Mrs. Rose didn't report Ward to the police. She just didn't think he was acting like a guilty person would. Despite all the talk about what had happened, he seemed calm and composed. In the end, it didn't matter that Mrs. Rose kept her suspicions to herself. On July 31, a week after the attack, the police brought Ward in for questioning as part of their wide ranging manhunt. After a five hour interview, it was clear they had their suspect. But they didn't arrest him right away. They needed more evidence first. So they took Ward's photograph and let him go. But they kept a very close eye on him to make sure he didn't make a run for it. Afterwards, the police wanted to show Ward's picture to Marjorie Logan so she could confirm he was the killer. She was still recovering from the attack though, so she couldn't help them until two days later. But the moment she saw the picture, she didn't hesitate. She said, that's the man who shot me. Later that same night, August 2, 1946, Ward Caraway was taken into custody. Up to that point, Ward had been compliant and polite with the authorities. But when they questioned him in earnest, he became more resistant. More than 12 hours passed before he finally gave in and confessed. Ward told police that he had no problems with the Logan family. He'd never even met them before. He said the crime was completely random, but his movements that day threw that into question. Ward said that he spent the morning of the attack driving his boss, Mr. Rose, to the train station. It just so happened that Mr. Rose was taking the same train that William Logan had boarded for his business trip to New York. Ward denied knowing that William would be away from home. Instead, he claimed that after dropping off Mr. Rose, he decided to take his gun and wander out with no specific plan whether or not he'd specifically targeted the Logans. What happened next was undeniable. And after his confession, Ward led officers to a field where he disassembled and discarded the gun. The authorities had a positive id, a confession and the murder weapon. They had everything they needed to charge Ward Carraway with first degree murder. But even in the face of all that evidence, he pleaded not guilty. And when the trial began in December 1946, he took the rare step of taking the stand in his own defense. Ward claimed that he'd made his confession under duress. He said he'd been denied food, sleep and rest until he signed a statement. According to Ward, detectives had threatened to take him downstairs if he didn't cooperate. Allegedly, one investigator had even held a knife to Ward's throat and another had whispered, let's kill him now and get it over with. But even if that was true, it didn't account for why he'd taken his gun apart and left it in a field, or how Marjorie Logan had been able to identify him as her assailant. And two days later, Marjorie got the chance to tell her side of the story. She was 27 by then and had recovered from the ordeal, physically at least, but she showed unwavering courage throughout the trial, sitting in the front row next to her father for Ward's testimony. When she took the stand herself, she pointed directly at Ward when asked to identify her mother's killer. Once both sides had rested their cases on December 14th, it only took the jury three hours to come to a verdict. Guilty. In 1946, a first degree murder conviction in New York came with a mandatory sentence, death. When the verdict was read aloud, Ward's pregnant wife, Scott, screamed and collapsed in the courtroom. William Logan, seated silently in the front row, said nothing. Marjorie elected not to be there. About seven months later, on the evening of July 3, 1947, Ward Beecher Caraway was executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in New York. He was 24 years years old. Looking back at these events from crime history, it's eerie how strikingly similar they are. Despite taking place over 60 years apart, the attacks on the Pettit and Logan families stand out for their violence, depravity and senselessness. Both cases were horrific crimes of opportunity, marked by profound, profound and shocking loss not just of human life, but something deeper, too. A loss of trust, of safety, of that invisible barrier we all imagine protects us when we lock our doors at night. And that's the truth that lingers. There's only so much control we have over our lives. We plan, we prepare, but we never really know what's waiting on the other side of the door. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Crime House the Show. The show is a Crime House Original Power by Pave Studios At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, your feedback truly matters. And for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts will be back next Monday. The show is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Crime House the Show Team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Nani Aqualagu, Hanias Said and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening. Warning the following ZipRecruiter radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words when you're hiring.
- [33:43]
Kristen Bell
We at ZipRecruiter know you can feel frustrated, forlorn, even, like your efforts are futile and you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people, only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, ZipRecruiter figured out how to fix all that and right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip with ZipRecruiter you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite F word. In fact, four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.
- [34:19]
Vanessa Richardson
Fantastic.
- [34:21]
Kristen Bell
So whether you need to hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com Zip to try ZipRecruiter for free. Don't forget that's ZipRecruiter.com Zip finally, that's ZipRecruiter.Com Zip hi, it's Kaelyn Moore.
- [34:39]
Peyton Moreland
Crime House is home to the most gripping true crime shows, and you don't want to miss what's coming up on my show, Clues that I co host with Morgan Abshur. We are digging into the chilling details of Amy Archer Gilligan, a nursing home proprietor whose trail of natural deaths turned out to be anything but. Join us as we examine the evidence one clue at a time. Listen to Clues every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.