Dr. William Petit's recovery from horrific home invasion

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In 2007 two men broke into the home of Dr. William Petit in Cheshire, Connecticut. They tortured and killed his wife and daughters and burned the house down. Dr. Petit was able to crawl to a neighbor and get help.

I recall hearing about this horrific case, saw news reports, and I also watched when Oprah came to talk with him when he was staying with relatives.

I followed the trial. Both criminals were convicted and sentenced to death.

Dr. Petit has remarried and now has a 2 yr old son.

My reason for this thread is I didn’t realize a book has been written about the case:

“The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak, and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town,” by Ryan D’Agostino, is the story of Petit’s slow, painful emergence into a new life after that night of atrocities.

(more details and pictures in link)

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-joy-cheshire-home-invasion-article-1.2341651
 

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Both killers' death sentences were overturned to life when Connecticut abolished the death penalty in 2012.
 

Such a shame, they got life instead of death, too bad their victims weren't afforded the same opportunity.
 
When the murders happened (summer of 2007) his wife Jennifer was 48, daughter Hayley was 17 (getting ready to go to college), daughter Michaela was 11.

Pictures of all are in the link. Beautiful women.
 
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When do you truly reach the point of "recovery"?

Is it when you can once again function in society? When you no longer have nightmares? When you can actually look back upon the past and not fall apart?

As with grief, I would imagine that recovery is a flexible state ...
 
I sometimes think it's a matter of self preservation and even perhaps self love. I've had losses... and deaths of loved ones... and I've grieved... but my personality is basically that of a happy person and a person that believes in good things... and a person that wants good things... for myself and people around me. I simply could not spend a whole lot of time in the negative... and in grief.. I had to move forward into better times. And then I had to think... what is the alternative? Crawling into the graves of lost loved ones? Not possible.. There was no alternative for me but to move onward...
 
SifuPhil said:
When do you truly reach the point of "recovery"?

Is it when you can once again function in society? When you no longer have nightmares? When you can actually look back upon the past and not fall apart?

As with grief, I would imagine that recovery is a flexible state ...
Click to expand...

This is a unique case as far as recovery is concerned. I’m assuming the book (written by someone else – not Dr. Petit) goes into that aspect.

The incident took place in 2007; Dr. Petit wasn’t able to work for a long time. (I don’t know if he has gone back to his profession.) He started a foundation. There were two trials and convictions were in 2010. A big part of his recovery was connecting with the woman he married in 2012, and becoming a father again in 2013.

But an article I read last year said it never goes away; he is still haunted by the gruesome crime.
 
He was just on TV not too long ago on one of the talk shows. I think he is a man of passion that should be admired for his strength to overcome such horrific grief. I remember this case. It was all senseless and again shows how some people's minds are so defective to the point where they cannot rationalize clearly enough to live in society and be with others. Warehousing these types of people is a good thing and a safe thing for society, so that they do not walk among us.
 
I live one town over to Cheshire, where they lived and have friends in Cheshire. We will never forget that day!

As I recall, the killers beat the doctor badly and threw him into the basement. When he came to, he managed to get to the neighbor. The girls were tied to their beds while the house burned.
 
RadishRose said:
I live one town over to Cheshire, where they lived and have friends in Cheshire. We will never forget that day!

As I recall, the killers beat the doctor badly and threw him into the basement. When he came to, he managed to get to the neighbor. The girls were tied to their beds while the house burned.
Click to expand...

This case initially caught my eye back in 2007. I was working, came home, turned on the news while going thru my mail, and they showed the video of terrified wife in the bank withdrawing $15,000. (A bank manager hid under desk and called 911.) Later wife was raped and strangled. Youngest girl (11) was molested. Dr. Petit was able to crawl to a neighbor for help, and he was beaten so badly neighbor barely recognized him.

There are pictures in the link of some of the damage......makes me shudder... I’m sure the worst photos were not released. (I also remember the story on cover of People magazine.)

The criminals followed wife and young daughter home from a store, and lurked…waited. They got in thru a basement door which (I think) had a broken latch/lock.
 
This is one heartbreaking tale. It's beyond my understanding how one musters the strength to carry on after that. I'm glad he connected with someone and started again. I hope his son brings him much joy and further healing.
 
911 said:
He was just on TV not too long ago on one of the talk shows. I think he is a man of passion that should be admired for his strength to overcome such horrific grief. I remember this case. It was all senseless and again shows how some people's minds are so defective to the point where they cannot rationalize clearly enough to live in society and be with others. Warehousing these types of people is a good thing and a safe thing for society, so that they do not walk among us.
Click to expand...

Decent people do not need to breathe the same air as these creeps.
 
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