Crime | Steven Hayes Murderer's Last Plea: It's Too Expensive to Kill Me Conn. killer hopes to avoid execution By John Johnson Posted Oct 9, 2010 5:51 PM CDT Copied This June 2007 file photo shows Dr. William Petit with his daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, center rear, and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit. (AP Photo/William Petit, File) With their client convicted in a ghastly triple murder of a mother and her two young daughters, the lawyers for Steven Hayes have mustered what seems like a grasping-at-straws argument to keep him from being executed: It's too expensive. When the penalty phase of the trial begins, the lawyers will call an expert witness to make the case that it costs taxpayers far more to execute an inmate than to keep him imprisoned for life—$3 million to $1 million by one estimate, taking into account court costs. AP has more. Read These Next A former NFL Pro Bowler has died at age 36. Backlash for Trump nominee who said he has 'a Nazi streak.' The massive AWS failure exposed a big problem with the internet. A man ended up dead after trying to steal from Spirit Halloween. Report an error