Komisarjevsky Jury Selection to Resume Today

Prosecutors are expected to file briefs today in response to a defense offer to imprison Cheshire home invasion defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky for life without the possibility rather than the death penalty.

Another 10 prospective jurors are also scheduled to be questioned today, the second day of jury selection for one of the most highly publicized criminal cases in Connecticut history.

Twenty-eight prospective jurors were excused Wednesday by Judge Jon C. Blue because they claimed a financial hardship, knew someone participating in the trial or admitted an inability to be impartial. Two others were dismissed by peremptory challenges filed by the defense and the prosecution.

Komisarjevsky, 30, faces the death penalty on 17 counts including capital felony murder, kidnapping, arson, larceny, burglary, assault and sexual assault.

His co-defendant, Steven Hayes, 47, was convicted in a separate trial in 2010 and has been sentenced to death row.

State’s attorneys in court Wednesday did not say what they would argue against the defense plea deal. But a similar offer was made by lawyers for Hayes, and rejected by prosecutors.

Judge Blue said the plea deal was filed on March 11 when he was out of town. He said he would forward it to Judge Roland Fasano to decide.

The judge also said he scheduled the guilt-innocence phase of the trial to start on Sept. 19 and expected it to last about a month. If Komisarjevsky is found guilty, there would be a second phase to determine his punishment, which the judge said might take about two months.

Defense lawyers Wednesday opposed a motion by news organizations to release the witness lists for the case, on the grounds that some witnesses might be intimidated if named in news reports.

Judge Blue suggested a compromise in which a partial list would be released, redacting the witnesses who might be intimidated.