Pastor: Komisarjevsky Was Smart and Caring

Pastor remembers Joshua Komisarjevsky as caring, but home invasion was "horrible."

A pastor has recalled a man facing a possible death sentence for a gruesome and brutal home invasion in Cheshire as a smart and caring teenager, but admitted he saw only one side of him and was heartbroken by the crime.

John Bubar, who was a pastor at Baptist Church of Cheshire and served as chaplain of the Cheshire Correctional Institute, testified on Friday in the sentencing phase of Joshua Komisarjevsky's trial.

Komisarjevsky was so smart he could take apart and reassemble engines, Bubar said, and Komisarjevsky said he would volunteer to help others, such as the time he cut his firewood.

"He was a very difficult child and yet another side of him was very loving and caring. He would do anything for anyone," Bubar said.

But under cross-examination, he said the home invasion was "horrible" and he was heartbroken for Komisarjevsky and Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor.

"I have to tell you I'm heartbroken not just for Joshua but for the Dr. who lost his family. It's terrible," he said.

Komisarjevsky was convicted of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters. The girls died of smoke inhalation after the house was doused in gas and set on fire.
 

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