A Connecticut Nightmare

In New Haven County, Conn., home of Yale University, Cheshire had been declared the state's "bedding plant capital" because of its many greenhouses and flower growers. Once a rural farming town, in the past several decades Cheshire has become more residential and suburban and grown to a population of about 29,000 people.

Map with Cheshire Conn. locator.

In its leafy suburbs in the spring and summer, arrangements of geraniums, begonias and johnny jump-ups seem to burst from gardens everywhere. In the fall, farmers lead hayrides through their pumpkin patches and sell apple cider to warm up their neighbors.

With its abundance of open spaces, tree-lined streets and family homes, Cheshire is a pleasant, safe place to be. In 2009, Money magazine listed Cheshire as one of its "100 Best Places to Live."

The town's median family income is $113,587, with a median home price around $400,000. With its well-heeled tax-base and family-oriented community spirit, Cheshire's public schools maintain an excellent academic reputation. But it was nonetheless in the town's Norton Elementary School where a young boy named Joshua Komisarjevsky began to clash with authority.