Community celebrates Hayley Petits birthday

Plainville, Conn. (WTNH) - Less than one week after the second suspect in the Cheshire Home Invasion was found guilty, hundreds gathered to celebrate Hayley Petit's birthday.

Police were on hand in Plainville to control the traffic, while about 400 people packed into the church to wish a happy birthday to Hayley who would have turned 22 years old yesterday, if she had survived the Cheshire Home Invasion.

Dr. Petit and his family walked out of the evening mass, with family and friends, parishioners and complete strangers. For some in the packed pews, it wasn't about offering words of comfort, or saying anything for that matter, just being there, crowing elbow to elbow and letting their presence do the talking.

"It was almost like a Christmas mass," said Valentine Stachowski, "in fact it was probably more crowded than Christmas."

"It's just very sad," said Helen Benoit, "I just give them a lot of credit and the community is really behind them."

During the mass, Hayley was remembered in prayer, along with her sister and mother who were killed in their Cheshire home more than 4 years ago.

"It was such a horrible horrible thing," said Stachowski, "if this helps to heal then we should be here."

It was standing room only, with all the people who came to remember Hayley. Some people said silent, somber happy birthdays in their minds and thought about where Hayley would be today or what she would be doing.

"It's tough to think about, because we will forever remember her as that picture of the three of them," said Stachowski, "and that's it and we will never see her in another picture, it's sad."

Other parishioners tell News 8 that every year since the 2007 Cheshire Home Invasion, Hayley has been honored in a mass on her birthday.