New Haven , Connecticut ( CNN ) -- A man convicted of capital murder in a 2007 Connecticut home invasion has attempted suicide several times since his arrest and has said he wants to receive the death penalty , a forensic psychiatrist testified Wednesday . Steven Hayes , 47 , was convicted this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters , 17-year-old Hayley Petit and 11-year-old Michaela Petit . Prosecutors allege that Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky invaded the Petit home in Cheshire , beat Jennifer Hawke-Petit 's husband bloody , strangled Hawke-Petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . On cross-examination , Dr. Paul Amble said his panel did not address the question of whether the defendant 's suicide attempts were sincere . But in his opinion , Hayes was `` making decisions that were rational , given his situation '' when he said he wanted to receive the death penalty . `` I want to plead guilty to everything now , because I just want it over now , '' Hayes told an evaluation team , the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine testified to a jury considering whether to sentence Steven Hayes to death . Hayes described a plan to `` look like a monster '' to the jury , expressing no remorse , in an attempt to move the jurors to sentence him to death , Amble wrote in his evaluation of the defendant . In March , Hayes told a psychologist that he no longer wanted to commit suicide `` but intended to let the state do it , '' Amble said . Judge Jon Blue had asked Amble to evaluate Hayes to determine whether he was competent to stand trial . Hayes `` described five overdose attempts '' that he felt Connecticut corrections staff was aware of , Amble said . The last such attempt came January 31 , when Hayes `` took a fairly large amount of thorazine ... nearly twice the lethal limit , '' Amble said . The incident forced a delay in Hayes ' trial , which had been set for February 1 . Thorazine is an antipsychotic medication that can also be prescribed to treat anxiety , as it was in Hayes ' case . Asked to describe his mood on a scale of zero to 10 , Hayes ranked it at zero and described symptoms of helplessness and hopelessness since his arrest shortly after the killings , Amble testified . He said Hayes told him he had tried to strangle himself with a sock but failed because he could n't tighten it enough to cut off circulation . Hayes told his evaluators that he had considered other ways to end his life , such as `` putting my head in the toilet and doing a back flip '' to break his neck , but opted against doing so out of fear that he might only paralyze or otherwise injure himself , according to the evaluation carried out by Amble . Hayes told the evaluation team in March that `` he wanted to essentially encourage the jury to vote in favor of the death penalty ... perhaps by taking the stand and looking like he has no remorse , '' Amble said . `` His desire was to actively seek the death penalty . '' He said Hayes has lost more than 60 pounds since his arrest and complained of not sleeping well and of nightmares . His psychiatrist in prison has diagnosed him with `` adjustment disorder '' and `` major depression , '' Amble said . Prosecutor Michael Dearington asked Amble whether Hayes truly wanted to be executed . `` I do n't know , '' the doctor said . `` I 'm not here to say I can exactly divine his thoughts , only what he said . '' Komisarjevsky is to be tried separately , but on Tuesday , a court clerk read from Komisarjevsky 's writings providing graphic descriptions of the incident . `` I am what I am ; I make no excuses , '' Komisarjevsky wrote . `` I 'm a criminal with a criminal mind . '' But he also appeared to express remorse , at one point writing , `` Michaela , Haley and Jennifer , forgive me ; I am damned . ... My forthcoming death sentence will be an action of mercy . '' Police testified that in the 2007 home invasion , Hayes and Komisarjevsky found evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 and forced Hawke-Petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . Prosecutors said Hayes took her to the bank while Komisarjevsky stayed behind . When Hayes and Hawke-Petit returned with the money , officials said , the two men set the home afire and fled . Inside the home , authorities said , Hawke-Petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . Her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . Petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . Amble was the only witness to testify on Wednesday , and no further testimony is scheduled until Monday , after the judge and attorneys spend the rest of this week working on jury instructions . .
NEW : Steven Hayes wanted to `` look like a monster '' to the jury . Doctor testifies Hayes said he wants to be executed . He says Hayes has been diagnosed with major depression . Hayes was convicted of capital murder in the 2007 home invasion .