NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Attorneys for Joshua Komisarjevsky, who is charged with killing a mother and her two daughters in a home invasion, can't show photos of the victims to prospective jurors, a judge ruled Thursday.

Komisarjevsky is charged with killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters during a home invasion in 2007 in Cheshire, a wealthy New Haven suburb. His co-defendant, Steven Hayes, was convicted last year and was sentenced to death.

Hawke-Petit attended elementary school in Slippery Rock. Her parents still reside there.

Attorneys for Komisarjevsky said the photos would help evaluate if emotions would affect potential jurors' ability to serve impartially, but Judge Jon Blue said it's inappropriate to show trial evidence during jury selection.

Prosecutors had objected to the defense request, saying that it's unclear what photos will be shown during the trial and that courts routinely deny such requests.

Hawke-Petit's husband and the girls' father, Dr. William Petit, was beaten with a baseball bat but survived.

Hayes was convicted of sexually assaulting and strangling Hawke-Petit and killing the girls. Authorities say the children were tied to their beds, with gasoline poured on or around them, before the house was set on fire, leading to their deaths from smoke inhalation.

Komisarjevsky and Hayes have blamed each other for escalating the crime.