Peter A. Reilly Trial: 1974 & 1976

State police who questioned Peter Reilly immediately suspected him because he appeared to express no grief. The fact that he claimed to have found his mother alive, and that her legs were apparently broken after she died, raised police suspicions about his involvement. But when police examined him, they found no blood on his clothes or on his body. After his explanation to the police, he was held overnight, then interrogated at state police Troop B in North Canaan on the following morning. Police then took him to Troop H in Hartford, Connecticut, for a polygraph test.

Reilly requested the test in the apparent belief that its results would clear him of any suspicion. However, he had had no sleep the night before, and as the questioning wore on for more than six hours on September 29, he eventually agreed with the police that he might have killed his mother but then blocked the event from his memory. His interrogation was recorded, and later transcripts revealed that although he was not intimidated or threatened physically, he became more and more confused and eager to please his questioners during the lengthy process. Several times the police informed him that he had a right to an attorney, but he did not insist on one.

Following the long hours of interview, he developed a confession, which he signed.