Second Juror Picked for Komisarjevsky Trial

Jury selection is scheduled to resume Tuesday to continue the process of picking 10 more jurors, six alternates and three backup alternates for the trial that is set to begin Sept. 19.

A second juror was selected Monday for the trial of Cheshire home invasion defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven Superior Court.

The juror chosen Monday is a New Haven resident who prosecutors described as a fourth-year college student pursuing a degree in social work and criminal justice.

Komisarjevsky, 30, is accused of kidnapping and robbing a Cheshire family, beating the father and killing the mother and two daughters in 2007. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

A co-defendant, Steven Hayes, 47, was convicted in a separate trial in 2010 and is on death row.

The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard testimony Monday from state Corrections Commissioner Leo C. Arnone on a bill to require state officials to follow guidelines for deciding which books should be available for inmates in prison libraries.

A brief filed by Komisarjevsky’s defense this month said while Hayes was in prison in 2006, he borrowed novels from the prison library that depicted violent murders.

Arnone told the lawmakers he started a review of the matter last October and expects to have a new policy in place by July 1.