NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut judge has declined to extend a gag order on witnesses who may testify in the upcoming trial of one of two men charged with killing a mother and her two daughters during a home invasion.

New Haven Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano denied a request Friday by attorneys for Joshua Komisarjevsky to prevent potential witnesses from talking about the case. He cited concerns about over-extending a court order to the point it becomes unenforceable and also said the order was not necessary to ensure a fair trial.

A gag order does remain in effect for Department of Corrections employees.

Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes were accused of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters in 2007 in their Cheshire home. Hayes was sentenced to death last year.

Komisarjevsky’s trial is scheduled for September.