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Judge Nixes Plea Deal For Komisarjevsky In Cheshire Home Invasion

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP/CBSNewYork) -- A Connecticut judge has denied a motion by a man charged with a deadly home invasion offering to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence without parole.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reports

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New Haven Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano denied the motion Wednesday.

The offer from Joshua Komisarjevsky came a week before the start of jury selection for his trial that could lead to the death penalty.

Co-defendant Steven Hayes was convicted last year and sentenced to death.

The two men are accused of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home in 2007. The girls' father was beaten but survived.

Defense lawyers had said a plea deal would avoid another lengthy, emotionally charged trial that would bring anguish to the families of the accused and the victims.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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