( CNN ) -- `` A calculated , cold-blooded predator . '' That was how Connecticut Judge James Bentivegna described a then 22-year-old Joshua Komisarjevsky on December 20 , 2002 , when the defendant was sentenced after being convicted on 12 counts of burglary . Today , Komisarjevsky -- now 31 -- sits in a Connecticut courtroom , where a jury will weigh his guilt on murder charges , and potentially pave the way for a death sentence . Prosecutors say that on July 23 , 2007 , Komisarjevsky and an accomplice , Steven Hayes , invaded the home of Dr. William Petit , raped and strangled his wife , Jennifer Hawke-Petit , molested one of their daughters , and set the house on fire before attempting to flee . Hawke-Petit and her daughters -- 17-year-old Hayley Petit and 11-year-old Michaela Petit -- died in the invasion of their Cheshire , Connecticut , home . Dr. William Petit , although severely beaten , managed to escape and crawl to a neighbor 's residence . Hayes was sentenced to death in December , after being convicted of 16 out of the 17 charges related to the three deaths . Both suspects had lengthy criminal records when they were arrested for the Petit invasion . Komisarjevsky 's long rap sheet , in particular , suggest that he was a troubled young man with a penchant for nighttime burglary and crystal meth . Officials with the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to speak with CNN , citing a gag order in the case . But over 200 pages of Komisarjevsky 's parole records have been released , which -- along with previous court testimony -- help paint a picture of the accused . One of his former attorneys , William Gerace , said that Komisarjevsky came from a close , religious family . But at the age of 14 , he began using drugs -- the same year , he claims , that he found out that he was adopted . By 18 , Komisarjevsky had found his drugs of choice : crystal meth and cocaine . He told the parole board that he stole money and electronics from upscale homes to feed his drug habit . Yet a transcript from his 2002 sentencing paints Komisarjevsky as more than just the average thief . According to a police statement read aloud in court that day , Komisarjevsky admitted that he broke into his first house when he was 14 years old . `` I always wore gloves , with the exception of one incident when I was 14 . I always acted alone . Approximately a year and a half ago , I acquired night vision goggles ... I used the night-vision equipment during the burglaries ( over ) the past year , '' he said , according to the transcript . Gerace , who was Komisarjevsky 's defense attorney at the time , stressed that a need for money , to pay for drugs , drove his client . But he admitted that the way he went about it was unusual . `` Ninety-nine percent of burglaries are ( committed by ) junkies -- there 's nothing romantic about what they do , '' said Gerace . `` That was the first time I 'd seen something as exotic as that . '' Komisarjevsky confessed that he only broke into homes at night and never during the day -- a point stressed by prosecutors in the 2002 trial . They said his affinity for breaking into people 's homes at night showed that he wanted a confrontation , since that was the time when the residents were the most likely to be at home . Speaking during his December 2002 sentencing , Komisarjevsky appeared repentant . He addressed the court saying , `` I 've turned my back on my faith in God and my family . And in doing so , I fell flat on my face and deep into hard drugs ... the crimes I committed was weighing so heavily on my shoulders . '' But the judge was not moved by Komisarjevsky 's show of remorse , sentencing him to nine years in prison plus six years of special parole , which has greater restrictions than typical probation . In April 2007 , he was paroled . And three months later , Komisarjevsky was arrested for the Petit home invasion and murders . What happened then , and what may have driven Komisarjevsky , remains a mystery to Gerace , his former attorney . `` He was a very complex young man . I do n't think I 've met anyone quite that complex , and I sensed there was an abundance of issues that had to be dealt with , '' Gerace said . `` I wish him well , and I hope the jury makes the right decision . ''
Joshua Komisarjevsky was convicted in 2002 on 12 counts of rape . Five years later , after being released on parole , he was accused of murder . He said he killed a Connecticut woman and set a fire that killed her husband .