Nearly four out of five Connecticut voters favor the death penalty for Steven Hayes, the man convicted of the infamous 2007 triple homicide in Cheshire, Conn.

In a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday, 76 percent of respondents said they would approve the death penalty for Hayes, while only 65 percent said they support the death penalty in general.

“Some voters who oppose the death penalty in general support it for a particularly heinous crime,” Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said in a statement.

Poll results show that support for the death penalty rose in Connecticut since the Cheshire murders occurred. Hayes and an accomplice invaded the home of William Petit and killed his wife and two daughters. 59 percent indicated support for the death penalty in 2005, an increase of six percent.

Court proceedings to determine whether Hayes will receive the death penalty are scheduled to begin Oct. 18.