Media Links For Brooke Bennett: No Discussion [Archive] - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:24 AM

Police Issue Amber Alert for Missing Child

Vermont State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing Braintree girl.

12-year-old Brooke Bennett was last seen Wednesday morning in Randolph.

"Obviously I'm upset. You just want her home. We want her back," Brooke's father, James Bennett, said tearfully.

James Bennett sat with his wife, Janet, as they tried their best to be strong. Pictures of Brooke are scattered throughout the home. Brooke lives with her mom in Braintree. The 12-year-old celebrates her birthday next month and her dad says she is already a typical teen.

"Of course, she is becoming a teen so she is interested in spending time with friends and doing sports. You know we are all for that. But we are not all for this," said James Bennett.

Brooke was last seen on surveillance video walking away from the Cumberland Farms in Randolph Wednesday morning. Police say she convinced her uncle to drop her off at the store so she could get a ride to visit a sick friend. But police say she really went there to meet a person she had been communicating with online through the popular social networking site MySpace.

"It is the family member's opinion that was a ruse to the family to get to that location. Members of the Vermont State Police Computers Crime Unit are currently examining the computer used by Miss Bennett in an attempt to isolate and identify when she was speaking with the online- the person online prior to her being reported missing," said Vt. State Police Capt. David Covell.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8558608

Vermont State Police describe the search as active and aggressive. Bennett is 5' 03" and weighs 98 pounds. She has brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes. She was wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. If anyone has seen her or has any information , call the Vermont State Police at (802) 234-9933.

http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=8559001

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:26 AM

Cyber-Link Triggers 1st Vermont Amber Alert
Dive Teams Search for Brooke Bennett, 12, Who May Have Met Up With Online Friend

By DAVID SCHOETZ
June 27, 2008

The search for a 12-year-old girl who police fear may have been taken by someone she met online has triggered the state of Vermont to issue its first Amber Alert.

Brooke Bennett of Braintree, Vt., has been missing since 9 a.m. Wednesday, when an uncle dropped her at a Cumblerand Farms convenience store in nearby Randolph. The girl had told her family she was being picked up by a female friend to visit the friend's relative at a hospital just across the state line in New Hampshire.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=5261759&page=1

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:28 AM

Police Analyze Missing Girl's Online Chats

Burlington, Vermont - June 27, 2008

As police search for a missing 12-year-old from Brookfield, they are focusing on her internet communications as potentially critical evidence that could help find her.

Specially trained investigators are already analyzing computers that they suspect Brooke Bennett may have used in recent months for online chatting that could have been with her pals-- or with a predator.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8567911&nav=menu183_2

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:29 AM

Police Find Few Clues in Search for Brooke Bennett

Randolph, Vermont - June 27, 2008

Police turned up few clues Friday in the search for a missing 12-year-old girl from Brookfield.

Brooke Bennett disappeared Wednesday morning-- prompting Vermont's first ever Amber Alert. The investigation is focused locally in central Vermont and nationally on the internet.

Witnesses saw Brooke outside a laundromat and Dunkin Donuts in Randolph Wednesday morning between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. She wasn't seen again-- but some of her clothes were found along route 65 in Brookfield.

Bennett was last seen on surveillance at Cumberland Farms. She enters the store with her uncle, he purchases coffee and some cigarettes, and they leave the store. Brooke walks left, her uncle goes right.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8565435&nav=menu183_2

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:32 AM

Vermont Police Release Surveillance Tape in Case of Missing 12-Year-Old Girl, FBI Joins Search

Saturday, June 28, 2008

As the FBI joined the search for a missing 12-year-old Vermont girl, state police on Friday released a surveillance video believed to show footage of one of the last glimses of Brooke Bennett before her disappearance.

State troopers had previously refrained from publicizing the footage from a security camera inside the Cumberland Farms store, where Brooke said she was meeting a female friend.

The tape shows the girl and her uncle walk into the shop, go to the register to buy something and then leave, each going in separate directions, with Brooke apparently walking away by herself.

She was seen about 45 minutes later inside the Randolph Village Laundromat, police said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372726,00.html

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 03:40 AM

Surveillance Pictures Show Missing Girl

POSTED: 12:33 am EDT June 28, 2008
UPDATED: 9:53 am EDT June 28, 2008

BROOKFIELD, Vt. -- A convenience store surveillance camera captured images of Brooke Bennett, the 12-year-old who's been the subject of an Amber Alert, police said.

See video on the right side of page:

http://www.wptz.com/news/16734125/detail.html

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:07 AM

Rumors Hard On Missing Girl's Family

Randolph, Vermont - June 28, 2008

Another day of searching on Saturday, and still no sign of missing 12-year-old, Brooke Bennett. Brooke's family is holding out hope that their daughter will be found safe and alive, but the rumors around town are making the search difficult to bear.

Missing poster signs hang in the windows of storefronts in downtown Randolph, where Brooke Bennett was last seen on Wednesday morning. On many, people have added the words, 'still missing.' That's because there have been rumors that the young girl was found dead yesterday in Sunset Lake in Brookfield.

"There was an issue yesterday in South Royalton that they were taking posters down," said Brooke's father, Jim Bennett. "She wasn't found dead. The rumors aren't true."

The rumor wasn't just spread by word of mouth. On the social networking Web site, Facebook, people were writing on a special "Find Brook(e) Bennett" page that the 12-year-old was dead.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8574397&nav=menu183_5_3_2

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:10 AM

Search for Missing Girl Turns to Uncle's Property

By DAVE GRAM
Associated Press
June 30, 2008

The investigation of the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl zeroed in on her uncle Monday, with police searching his home while he was being arraigned on sex charges in an unrelated case, authorities said.

Michael Jacques, a registered sex offender who was one of the last people seen with Brooke Bennett before she vanished, pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated sexual assault and was held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5280253&page=1

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:14 AM

Vermont Police name uncle ’person of interest’ in search for girl

Monday, June 30, 2008

BETHEL, Vt. -The head of the Vermont State Police says the uncle of a missing 12-year-old girl is a "person of interest" in her disappearance.

Col. James Baker says the search continues for Brooke Bennett, of Braintree, who vanished after walking away from a Randolph convenience store Wednesday and was the subject of Vermont’s first-ever Amber Alert.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, a registered sex offender who had dropped Bennett off at the store, was charged Sunday with aggravated sexual assault in an unrelated case. Police say they developed information in the probe of Bennett’s disappearance that led them to charge Jacques — but not in the disappearance.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/2008_06_30_Vermont_Police_name_uncle__person_of_in terest__in_search_for_girl/srvc=home&position=recent

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:16 AM

Brooke's Uncle Charged in Child Sex Ring

The story of the disappearance of Brooke Bennett in Central Vermont has taken an ugly turn. The police now say that the girl's uncle is involved in a sex ring and Monday he was formally charged with sexually assaulting another child.

According to court papers, Michael Jacques, 42, convinced a young relative that she was a part of an underground sex program called "Breckenridge" and repeatedly assaulted her over the last five years. Papers also state that Jacques told the girl that he would cut her throat if she did not go along with the program. But at this time, we do NOT know if Brooke Bennett was a victim of the same program.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8580434&nav=menu183_2_2_2

Former Stepfather Implicated in Disappearance

White River Junction, Vermont - July 1, 2008

More twists today in the case of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Her former stepfather is now implicated in her disappearance.

Ray Gagnon, 40, of Texas is in federal custody in Vermont. The FBI said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Gagnon is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence in the case.

"The FBI is in the process of bringing Mr Gagnon over to the federal side on charges of obstruction of justice, related to the obstruction of evidence to this investigation. And that's I can say at this point," said FBI Special Agent John Fikus.

Gagnon is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday in Burlington.

Earlier today, Vermont State Police said Gagnon sexually assaulted a minor in Randolph last summer, but he has not been charged in that case. Police are not saying who the victim was, but will say that it was not Brooke.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8584106&nav=menu183_2

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:18 AM

4 p.m. statement by Col. James Baker, Vt. State Police director

PRESS CONFERENCE

UPDATE ON MISSING BROOKE BENNETT

Date of Press Conference: July 1, 2008 at 4:00 PM

This case is making progress. We continue to have over fifty investigators working the investigation. The focus of today’s investigation continued with the search of the Jacques’ property. The New England K-9 team assisted in this search. We continue to gather evidence in the investigation.

As you know, Michael Jacques of Randolph, Vermont was arrested on Sunday for sexually assaulting a minor. As a bi-product of this investigation, the Vermont State Police have arrested Ray Gagnon of San Antonio, Texas for Aggravated Sexual Assault, which is in connection with Jacques’ arrest. Gagnon was placed in Federal Custody prior to his arrangement. Special Agent in Charge, John Pikus will comment on this further at the conclusion of my statement.

Michael Jacques continues to be a person of interest in the disappearance of Brooke Bennett.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS/97212770/0/NEWS02

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:22 AM

Police Believe They Have Found Brooke's Body

Bethel, Vermont - July 2, 2008

A tragic end to the week-long search for Brooke Bennett.

Police believe they found remains of the 12-year-old girl late Wednesday afternoon in Randolph -- near the home of the uncle she was seen with in surveillance video the day she disappeared.

"It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I announce that we have located what we believe to be the remains of Brooke Bennett," said Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police, at an evening press conference.

Baker said investigators had been optimistic they would find Brooke Bennett alive. But the body of the 12-year-old girl missing for the past week was found on Crocker Road in Randolph, near the home of her uncle, Michael Jacques.

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8612211

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 04:26 AM

Community Holds Vigil For Brooke Bennett

Randolph, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Family, friends and strangers gathered in Randolph on Wednesday night, at what was supposed to be a vigil to pray for the safe return of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Instead, it turned into a memorial to remember the bubbly girl.

A haunting silence, broken only by whispers of condolence and prayers, filled the air around the Gazebo on Main Street as over 200 people came together to mourn Brooke.

Friends offered condolences to Bennett's family, who had barely had time to process the news of her death.

"I don't know what to say," said Brooke's father, James Bennett. "I know that Brooke knows that we love her...and we'll always love her."

~snip~

"Brooke, I miss you already, and I know you can hear me," Savanna said. "I love you so much and I'm glad you're in safe hands now."

The community is left feeling a sense of betrayal that something so shocking could happen so close. "It's just, I don't know what to think. It's really overwhelming," said a young girl who attended the vigil.

"It's really difficult to process and try to explain to her what's going on," said parent, Kim Abbot, of her daughter. "She's doing good. I have a lot of questions. A lot of whys."

They know those whys may never be answered, but pray that closure will one day come.

Cassandra Gagnon issued a plea: "I just ask that justice be done to the person that took my baby away."

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8609125

SeriouslySearching

07-03-2008, 12:36 PM

Magi Bish offers comfort to Bennett family

(NECN) - A vigil scheduled for Brooke Bennett turned into a memorial Wednesday night, after the 12-year-old's body was discovered.

Among the supporters that attended the vigil are family members of other missing children cases. Magi Bish, the mother of Molly Bish was in Randolph, Vermont to comfort the Bennett family.

Magi says that her trip to Vermont is a "trip of love".

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Magi-Bish-offers-comfort-to-Bennett-family-/1215052001.html

Tom'sGirl

07-03-2008, 03:15 PM

Investigation timeline

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
At 9 a.m., Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, is dropped off at Cumberland Farms in Randolph by her uncle, Michael Jacques, and a cousin. Family members told police she intended to meet her friend there and then visit a sick relative of the friend at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.
A witness later reports seeing Brooke at about 9:45 a.m. at Randolph Village Laundromat.
At 9 p.m., Brooke is reported missing to police.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26
Clothing similar to what Brooke was wearing is found near Vermont 65 in Brookfield. A search by police and dogs in the area of the Brookfield Floating Bridge ensues.
Police say Brooke’s story of a trip to the hospital is a ruse and that she might have been bound for a meeting with an unknown person with whom she had communicated through MySpace.com, an online social networking site.
Vermont State Police post an Amber Alert, the state’s first.

FRIDAY, JUNE 27
Investigators focus on a possible online relationship that might have developed between Brooke and an unknown person. “This case is about a MySpace visitation,” Col. James Baker said.
State police dive teams search Sunset Lake, near where items belonging to Brooke were found.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29
State police arrest Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor after uncovering information during the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance.

MONDAY, JUNE 30
Jacques, a convicted sex offender, is charged in Vermont District Court in Chelsea and held for lack of $250,000. His victim tells police Jacques sexually assaulted her over the past five years beginning when she was 9 years old as an indoctrination into a “program for sex called Breckenridge,” according to a police affidavit. Police and FBI investigators search Jacques residence at 1850 E. Bethel Road in Randolph.

TUESDAY, JULY 1
Police arrest Raymond A. Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, citing a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor. Gagnon, Brooke’s former stepfather, is transferred to federal custody and will be arraigned on obstruction charges in U.S. District Court in Burlington today.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2
FBI investigators reveal in court papers that according to a witness, Brooke returned to Jacques’ home in Randolph on the morning of June 25. The witness, the victim of Jacques’ sexual assaults that led to his arrest, told investigators Brooke was to be initiated into the Breckenridge sex club that day. The witness said Brooke went upstairs with Jacques on June 25 and she never saw her again.
At 4:45 p.m., police discover the remains of a young girl they believe to be Brooke near a sugarhouse in Randolph near Jacques’ home. An autopsy will be performed today to determine time and cause of death. Michael Jacques is charged with kidnapping Brooke.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS01/80702039 (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS01/80702039)

concernedperson

07-04-2008, 10:59 AM

Commentary: Somewhere between hope and despair.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080704/OPINION04/807040316

i.b.nora

07-04-2008, 03:43 PM

Gagnon's friend in Texas: Like there were 2 people (http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/07/04/gagnons_friend_in_texas_like_there_were_2_people/)

By Kathy McCormack
Associated Press Writer / July 4, 2008

"When Kevin Grosenheider in San Antonio received a call early Monday from his friend, Raymond Gagnon, asking him to dispose of a safe, he decided to help him out."

•

"Grosenheider, who's in his late 50s, is quoted in the affidavit as saying he didn't know what was in the safe "but assumed it was child pornography."

That's not how Grosenheider remembered the conversation Thursday.

"They asked me what was in safe, (I said) 'I don't know. I had never seen the safe open,'" he told The AP. "I assumed it was something he didn't want (discovered)."

When asked about the child pornography reference, Grosenheider said, "That's the FBI.""

•

"Grosenheider, who lives with his fiancee and her 17-year-old daughter, has not been charged with any crime. He said he's known Gagnon for four years and that Gagnon had been renting the room for about six months.

He said Gagnon was his boss at Avanzar Interior Technologies in San Antonio, which provides seats and other interior parts for vehicles."

more at link...

Very informative article

Tom'sGirl

07-04-2008, 04:42 PM

VIDEO: Memorial/Family Speak

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Hundreds-gather-to-remember-Brooke-Bennett-/1215048535.html (http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Hundreds-gather-to-remember-Brooke-Bennett-/1215048535.html)

fran

07-04-2008, 05:25 PM

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20080704/NEWS04/807040401/1004/SPORTS

Brooke Bennett: A bright flame fades

July 4, 2008

By SARAH HINCKLEY Times Argus Staff

Those who knew Brooke Bennett, whether it was in the halls of Randolph High School or out on the lacrosse field, knew the young girl's enthusiasm for Halloween.

They also knew that contagious bright smile, the one splashed across television screens and newspapers nationwide this week. They knew Brooke's smile was genuine, not a pose.

<<<<<<<<<snip>>>>>>>>>>>

Friends recalled a more personal side to the girl.

For Chris Decoteau, Brooke's bright blue eyes were what he remembered most about his dear friend. Decoteau, 14, admitted to having a crush on Brooke, and had enjoyed numerous phone conversations with her at the start of this summer vacation.

"I just know she was funny and nice, really nice," he said shyly. "She laughs easily … I also remember her laughing about the freckle on her toe … She didn't really care what people thought."

In the Amber Alert, issued the day after she disappeared and lifted within an hour of finding her body, the description of Brooke included purple highlights in her hair, pierced ears and that endearing freckle on her toe.

"He was going to date her, but now he'll never get the chance," said Langlois, standing in a circle with Decoteau and his older sister before the Wednesday night vigil.

<<<<<<<<<snip>>>>>>>>

Coach Miller recalled a particular aspect of Brooke's basketball game that became her signature.

"She had one of the best defenses," Miller said. "She had a defense we would call … 'the octopus defense.' "

It consisted of arms flailing, holding off opponents, determined to block moves, like an octopus, she said. "She was tough," said Langlois about her teammate and friend. "She wouldn't put up with anybody."

<<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

fran

07-04-2008, 05:30 PM

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8618501

Tips on Talking to Kids About Brooke

<<<<<<<<<<<snip>>>>>>>>>>>

"If my child lived in Randolph right now, I would want them to know they are mostly safe and that they're cared for by loving parents," said Tronsgard-Scott.

99 percent of all sexual predators know their victims and 25 percent are actually family members.

Tronsgard-Scott says parents need to learn to spot sexual predators. She says parents should be leery of anyone who wants to be good friends with their child, especially someone who wants to take them places alone.

"Most sexual violence is happening in our homes, in our communities on a day to day basis in a very quiet, covert way," Tronsgard-Scott explained.

She says the key to stopping sexual violence is also better treatment for sex offenders, long-term, specific treatment that last years-- not months.

<<<<<<<<see link for full article>>>>>>>>>

Liz

07-05-2008, 10:41 AM

A cliff notes version on the case up until now, posted by VTGirl81 yesterday:

http://www.jurorthirteen.com/BrookeBennettMurder/tabid/545/Default.aspx

Tom'sGirl

07-05-2008, 08:29 PM

Brooke's Parents Speak (http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8623432)
WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA

Braintree, Vermont - July 5, 2008
"I actually viewed her yesterday and it's just.... I felt her. I felt that she was still with me. It's been awful," says Cassandra Gagnon, Brooke's mother.

Much more at
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8623432

SeriouslySearching

07-05-2008, 09:08 PM

Funeral Set for Brooke

Randolph, Vermont - July 4, 2008

Funeral arrangements have been finalized for 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Her funeral will be held Wednesday July from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Randolph Union High School auditorium in Randolph.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8621442

Tom'sGirl

07-05-2008, 11:11 PM

Telephone Interview with Janet Bennett, Brooke's biological father's wife. Says they were aware Jacques was ROA, had told Brooke's mother.
http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=1960962&referralPlaylistId=949437d0db05ed5f5b9954dc049d70b 0c12f2749

dark_shadows

07-06-2008, 05:55 AM

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/NEWS/80705010&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

The fleeting life of Brooke Bennett

BETHEL — Brooke Bennett’s smile beamed from at least two dozen photographs gracing a bulletin board in the home of Jim and Janet Bennett, the 12-year-old’s father and stepmother.

On Wednesday, a few hours before police announced the discovery Brooke’s body, a single red candle burned below the pictures. A slide show of photographs, most of them cheerful ones of Brooke and her step-siblings, played across the idle screen on Jim Bennett’s computer.

Respectfully,
dark_shadows

dark_shadows

07-06-2008, 06:57 AM

Video;

Brooke's Parents Speak

Braintree, Vermont - July 5, 2008
"I actually viewed her yesterday and it's just.... I felt her. I felt that she was still with me. It's been awful," says Cassandra Gagnon, Brooke's mother.

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8623432

Respectfully,
dark_shadows

Liz

07-06-2008, 10:55 AM

From 7/3/08 Investigation leads to Cullman (http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/local_story_185230015.html)

Couple snippets:

Gagnon's listing in the Cullman City Directory from 1998 to 2007 indicates that he lived in Cullman for almost a decade.

A spokesperson for REHAU where Gagnon is believed to have worked while residing in Cullman, could not be reached for employment confirmation.

fran

07-06-2008, 03:51 PM

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/2008_07_06_Brooke_Bennett_case_could_give_Vermont_ second_look_at_death_penalty/

Brooke Bennett case could give Vermont second look at death penalty

Sunday, July 6, 2008

MONTPELIER, Vt. - It’s been more than 50 years since the state of Vermont sentenced anyone to death and 54 years since its last execution, but the man charged with abducting 12-year-old Brooke Bennett could become the second Vermonter to end up on federal death row in recent years.

Even though police haven’t released a cause of death for Brooke or even said she was murdered, federal prosecutors have said they might seek the death penalty against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, the man charged with kidnapping her.

Vermont Law School professor Michael Mello, an expert on the death penalty, said it could be the first time federal prosecutors seek the death penalty using changes to federal law included in The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>

Tom'sGirl

07-06-2008, 04:02 PM

Brooke's former stepfather due in court Monday (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5874129.html)
Houston Chronicle - United States
Brooke's uncle Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph is facing federal kidnapping charges.

Gagnon is being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. Jacques is being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.

Tom'sGirl

07-06-2008, 09:18 PM

Randolph Area Care Team (http://brookebennett.org/)

The Randolph Area Care Team is a consortium of community leaders who have come together for the purpose of helping this community through the crisis of Brooke Bennett's abduction and death.

The team is made up of mental health care providers, clergy, educators, counselors, business people and members of Bethany Church.

Tentatively scheduled for Monday, July 7th, at 7pm, at Randolph Union High School this team will be joined by members of various regional critical incident stress management teams for a community information and support gathering (pending notification of funeral arrangements).

Tom'sGirl

07-06-2008, 10:21 PM

Video;

Brooke's Parents Speak
Same as link posted up thread http://websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2352897&postcount=23 (http://websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2352897&postcount=23)

SeriouslySearching

07-07-2008, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by Starr58:

Randolph Area Care Team

The Randolph Area Care Team is a consortium of community leaders who have come together for the purpose of helping this community through the crisis of Brooke Bennett's abduction and death.

The team is made up of mental health care providers, clergy, educators, counselors, business people and members of Bethany Church.

Tentatively scheduled for Monday, July 7th, at 7pm, at Randolph Union High School this team will be joined by members of various regional critical incident stress management teams for a community information and support gathering (pending notification of funeral arrangements). At this time there will be an introduction to the Randolph Area Care Team, an update on the investigation by the Vermont State Police as well as information on stress and resources to help manage it. Participants will also have a chance to talk together in smaller groups facilitated by persons trained in critical incident stress management if they so wish. Due to space limitations we respectfully ask that the media not attend this event.

We are thankful to the many agencies and individuals that have responded to this effort and firmly believe this tragedy will not define us, but our response to it will.

http://brookebennett.org (Bolded by Starr)

SeriouslySearching

07-07-2008, 10:32 AM

BRAINTEE — Funeral Services for Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, who died last week, will be held in a different location than originally planned.

Services are now scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, outdoors, under a tent, behind Randolph Union High School.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/OBITUARIES/807060476/0/SPORTS

i.b.nora

07-07-2008, 05:34 PM

Best article so far on Ray Gagnon charges in Alabama.

Former Cullman Resident Charged with Possession of Child Pornography (http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8629241)

Posted: July 7, 2008 11:33 AM

BIRMINGHAM, AL - "Raymond Alfred Gagnon, 40, formerly of Cullman Alabama, has been charged in a Criminal Complaint filed today in United States District Court in Birmingham for possession of child pornography.

Gagnon, who presently owns a home in Cullman, Alabama, is alleged to have possessed child pornography images on computer media which he stored in his former residence on or about June 26, 2008. The complaint also alleges that GAGNON attempted to access a missing twelve year-old Vermont girl's MySpace page through a Cullman library's public computer on or about June 26, 2008.

Gagnon is presently in federal custody in Vermont on Obstruction of Justice charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of 12 year-old Brooke Bennett of Braintree, Vermont.

The United States Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Northern District of Alabama are assisting federal authorities in Vermont in their ongoing investigation. Any media inquiries should be directed to the United States Attorney's Office in Vermont."

Starr58

07-07-2008, 05:40 PM

Gagnon to face child porn charges in Alabama
2:57 p.m.
July 7, 2008

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/THISJUSTIN/831184842

fran

07-08-2008, 01:46 PM

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69003

Brooke's blood stains Vermont

Posted: July 08, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

© 2008

The State of Vermont, its criminal justice system, its state legislators and the parents and family of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett have her blood on their hands.

Brooke Bennett is "alleged" (sometimes I really hate having to use that word) to have been murdered by her uncle, Michael Jacques. Jacques has a long history of sex crimes dating back to 1985 – when he was charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl about 100 times. Prosecutors eventually dismissed the case. In 1993, he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping. The affidavit in said case states that Jacques bound the victim and threatened to kill her while assaulting her. He was given a 6 to 20-year sentence but was released after only four years, based on Vermont's then "good time" policy.

As the former sex crimes prosecutor Wendy Murphy put it, "Vermont boasts the best sex treatment in the world – Jacques graduated in 2006 from their treatment program supposedly rehabilitated – but as we now tragically know, he was anything but.

Clinical psychologist Dr. George Zeo said, "there is a large body of research that says pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated." He added that pedophilia is an addiction – and just as a drug addict can relapse after a sustained drug-free period, so it is with pedophiles. Medication and sentencing guidelines may be able to keep their urges in check, but said urges are always there – any treatment must include keeping the pedophile away from children. That said, I submit that, in an open society, the only way to accomplish that is by life imprisonment. When they are paroled, it should be to the cemetery.

<<<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tom'sGirl

07-08-2008, 08:07 PM

Slain girl mourned amid flowers, snapshot collages and tears

Associated Press - July 8, 2008 6:15 PM ET
RANDOLPH, Vt. (AP) - Today mourners remembered 12-year-old Brooke Bennett at a wake in the building where she just graduated from seventh grade.

Filing past a series of photo collages and the girl's open casket, friends and acquaintances shared condolences with her mother and other family members in an auditorium at Randolph Union High School.

Hundreds were expected to pay their respects tonight and at a funeral scheduled for tomorrow.

http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=8643339

Liz

07-09-2008, 12:30 AM

Grieving Community Pays Respects To Brooke Bennett

Hundreds filled Randolph Union High School's Auditorium Tuesday night to say goodbye to Brooke Bennett. Family, friends, classmates and police officers came to mourn the 12-year old's tragic death.

Calling hours officially started at 5p.m., but the high school parking lot was already full an hour before.

~snip~

An outdoor funeral is set for Brooke Bennett Wednesday morning at 11am at Randolph Union High School. To send a private condolence to the Bennett family, you can visit their website at the following web address:

http://www.dayfunerals.com/index.cfm

Garner says the Day Funeral Home has recieved a record number of emails in the past few days; both locally and from all over the country. All items recieved are reviewed by the funeral home before being sent to the family. Garner says, a hard copy of all condolences sent will be prepared for Brooke's family to keep.

More at link:
http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=8644272

gigi2009

07-09-2008, 10:06 AM

http://http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Community-prepares-for-funeral-of-Brooke-Bennett/1215567941.html

Still in shock friends, family and strangers gathered at Union high school Tuesday for the wake of Brooke Bennett: the 12-year-old Vermont girl who was found dead one week after she went missing.

MrsMush99

07-09-2008, 01:52 PM

Brooke's Funeral:

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8647568

Funeral services were held this morning in Randolph for 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, who was murdered two weeks ago.

Hundreds of people from the community crowded into a large tent on the grounds of Randolph Union High School.

Hundreds also showed up for a wake yesterday to remember the young girl.

Liz

07-11-2008, 01:26 AM

Snippets from:

Brooke Bennett is Pedophile Victim
By JoAnne Thomas

Brooke Bennett. The name itself conjures up images of an innocent child. There is a softness to it, along with a touch of elegance. It is a sweet name, belonging to another deceased child …. another victim of the pedophiles and their *community*.

From reading the websites in the pedophile community, I have learned more than I might have wanted to know about that community. The paedo’s express concerned about the welfare of Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, and Brooke’s stepfather, Raymond Gagnon. Their focus is not on the sadistic and brutal rape and murder of this precious 12-year-old, but on what they believe the true injustice to be. In their *heart* and *soul*, they believe if there was no stigma attached to child porn, child rape, and if it were legal, Brooke would still be alive. If those of us, known to the paedo’s as the *anti’s* would just leave them alone, and understand that even a smiling infant is consenting to sex, the world would be a better place. They really don’t want to hurt children … it is the anti’s fault when harm occurs.

~snip~

We also have people that just look the other way … mostly women, that tend to become deaf, dumb and blind at the first hint that all is not well in the home …. that their son, or daughter might be a victim. These women are usually in survival mode, dependent on the male for everything, from food to drugs. They allow their children to be exposed to the vile child predator because it’s easier for them. They become so desperate for a man that nothing else matters … and your average low-life predator knows just how to seek out, find and ingratiate himself to a woman like that.

~snip~

On the other hand, we have Jacques, admitted and convicted pedophile, that is allowed to be released early from prison, and without supervision. He is alleged to be the rapist/murderer of tiny Brooke, along with her stepfather Ray Gagnon. These men were allowed constant access to Brooke and other children, and are thought to be part of a large scale child prostitution ring. These rings are orchestrated by your pedophile community and they are everywhere and we can no longer look away.

~snip~

Pedophilia is not a disease, so there is no cure. It is a mindset … of people that are evil to the core. SCOTUS has ruled we can’t give them the death penalty, and many state courts just want to give them rehabilitation time. They cannot be rehabilitated.

http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=1673

Starr58

07-14-2008, 02:40 PM

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BENNETT01

RayStar

07-14-2008, 10:21 PM

We have some sick people out there.:mad:

Liz

07-15-2008, 04:15 PM

Vt. official meets resistance on sex offender crackdown plan
Cites slaying of girl to show need

Vermont's lieutenant governor, Brian Dubie, spoke to the media in Montpelier about tougher laws against sex offenders.

MONTPELIER - Seizing on the case of slain 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie yesterday called on lawmakers to convene in a special session next month to pass new laws cracking down on sex offenders, proposing a 25-year mandatory minimum prison term and other measures.

But his calls got a cool reception, with lawmakers saying the issue is too complicated for such quick action and a victims' rights group saying that long mandatory minimums can discourage suspects from entering into plea bargains and scare victims out of coming forward.

Much more:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/07/15/vt_official_meets_resistance_on_sex_offender_crack down_plan/

Tom'sGirl

07-16-2008, 01:12 PM

Bennett father: There are a million questions VIDEO

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Bennett-father-There-are-a-million-questions-/1216220744.html (http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Bennett-father-There-are-a-million-questions-/1216220744.html)

Janet Brooks
http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Bennett-stepmother-Feels-like-Im-dreaming-/1216220478.html (http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Bennett-stepmother-Feels-like-Im-dreaming-/1216220478.html)

Tom'sGirl

07-16-2008, 02:40 PM

Bennett step-grandfather impressed with community (http://www.necn.com/category/32/13348)
NECN - Newton,MA,USA

Bennett step-aunt: Hope it never happens to anyone else (http://www.necn.com/category/32/13347)
NECN - Newton,MA,USA

Starr58

07-17-2008, 01:17 PM

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8615806

Timeline of a Tragedy
Click on any underlined passage for more information.

Liz

07-17-2008, 07:45 PM

Brooke Bennett's Dad and Stepmom Speak to the Media for the First Time
Posted: July 17, 2008 07:32 AM PDT

In their first television interview last night, Jim and Janet Bennett told a New England TV station that returning to daily life has been a struggle.

http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=8690963

Tom'sGirl

07-19-2008, 08:42 PM

Jul 19, 1:47 PM EDT
Library confrontation points up privacy dilemma
By JOHN CURRAN
Associated Press Writer

RANDOLPH, Vt. (AP) -- Children's librarian Judith Flint was getting ready for the monthly book discussion group for 8- and 9-year-olds on "Love That Dog" when police showed up.

They weren't kidding around: Five state police detectives wanted to seize Kimball Public Library's public access computers as they frantically searched for a 12-year-old girl, acting on a tip that she sometimes used the terminals.
cont'd:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LIBRARY_PRIVACY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Liz

07-21-2008, 06:42 AM

Last paragraph from this article posted below

Jessica's Law: Brooke Bennett's legacy
July 20, 2008

Jessica's Law is based on a simple message, "If you do the crime, you will serve the time." As citizens of Vermont, each of us must decide how we will join Pastor Harty in pledging "never again."

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/OPINION02/807200315/

fran

07-22-2008, 03:42 AM

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/07/21/special_session_appears_unlikely/

Special session unlikely

MONTPELIER, Vt.—After meeting with legislative leaders Monday, it's unlikely the governor will call a special session in the wake of the Brooke Bennett case because lawmakers do not agree with his proposals to crack down on sex offenders.

"I was disappointed," Gov. Jim Douglas said after the closed-door meeting. "I laid out a three-point program for a bill and a special session with civil confinement and an enhanced sex offender registry and Jessica's Law, and they rejected it."

But lawmakers said they want to find out first what went wrong in the Braintree girl's case before they pass any new laws and contend that none of the governor's proposal could have saved Bennett's life.

<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>

fran

07-29-2008, 12:05 PM

Jessica's Law petitions express residents' anger

MIDDLESEX - In the few short weeks since 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was found dead in Randolph, the chorus of Vermonters calling for tougher penalties against convicted pedophiles has swelled to a crescendo.

Their voices, scribbled on sheets of paper in gas stations and convenience stores around Vermont, will soon find their way to lawmakers in the Statehouse.

Two petitions calling on legislators to pass "Jessica's Law" have garnered thousands of signatures. One, circulated by Middlesex resident Angelo Napolitano, has the names of more than 2,000 registered voters. A separate petition authored by Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, meanwhile, already has "thousands" of signatures, Dubie said Tuesday.

"People are angry. People are frustrated," Napolitano said. "And they're saying it's time for Vermont to finally give these perverts the penalties they deserve."

Never mind that the proposed statute, which sets a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting a child, wouldn't have prevented the tragedy that unfolded earlier this month in Randolph.

Michael Jacques, charged by federal prosecutors in Bennett's kidnapping, had a long history of sex crimes. But he was never convicted of raping a minor, and therefore would not have been subject to such a law had it existed.

Napolitano concedes that Jessica's Law doesn't apply directly to the Bennett case. But the tragedy, he says, offers occasion to revisit the issue of sexual predation in Vermont.

"It is up to us, the citizens of Vermont, to bring change," Napolitano says

<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20080725/NEWS03/994004559/1004/SPORTS

fran

07-29-2008, 12:08 PM

Prison Officials Stand by Sex Offender Treatment

Prison officials are standing by Vermont's sex offender treatment despite one of its graduate's suspected involvement in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Officials say the program comes with no guarantees, but they say it dramatically reduces the risk of re-offense. And the Vermont Corrections Department says its programs have become a model for other states because they are so successful.

"It makes us safer than not doing it. It doesn't guarantee total safety," says Vt. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann.

Hofmann says studies show that sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they complete the state's sex offender treatment program.

About 400 of Vermont's 2,000 convicts-- about 20 percent-- are doing time for a sex crime conviction. Most will complete sex offender treatment. The great majority of the graduates will not re-offend, unlike Michael Jacques.

He completed the treatment program and was called a model prisoner by the department and released from probation in 2006 after the department categorized him as a model prisoner.

Until 12-year-old niece Brooke Bennett was kidnapped and murdered last month-- and he's the prime suspect. The commissioner says the program should not be judged by this one

<<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8738317

fran

07-29-2008, 12:11 PM

Vermont to Implement New Sex Offender Laws

VT Will Require Evaluation, In-Person Reporting, and Location Advisory of Sex Offenders

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- When a state Senate committee begins deliberating later this summer on how to respond to the kidnap and killing of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, it also will be under pressure to deal with a new federal law named for another slain child.

The cases of child victims Brooke Bennet, left, and Adam Walsh, right, have prompted the new laws pertaining to sex offenders.
(ABC News Photo Illustration / AP Photo / AP GraphicsBank)The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 establishes new mandates for the way states set up their sex offender registries -- mandates Vermont currently does not meet.

"It will mean some huge changes for Vermont," said Sherry Englert, sex offender registry program coordinator with the Department of Public Safety.

Adam Walsh was 6 when he was abducted from a Florida shopping mall 27 years ago; his body was found 16 days later. No one was ever charged in the abduction and slaying. He became one of a sad gallery of dead children for whom various laws trying to crack down on sex offenders have been named.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5462954&page=1

fran

07-29-2008, 12:15 PM

States under the gun to comply with sex offender laws

..............snip.........................
Vermont currently has about 2,500 sex offenders on its registry, but access to the information is tightly controlled in a system lawmakers designed to take into account the privacy rights of people who've already served their time and in the hope that they'll have a smooth transition back into society.

Sears said he expects one result if the state complies with the Adam Walsh Act will be a larger number of offenders with information posted online, including some as young as 14 if they are convicted in adult court.

But with Gov. Jim Douglas and others calling for a "Jessica's Law," with 25-year mandatory minimum sentences for sex offenders, and with national media personalities pummeling Vermont as being soft on sexual predators, any concern for youthful offenders or for the privacy of those promising to mend their ways is at an ebb.

"The idea (of the Adam Walsh Act) seems to be that most sex offenders have to be on the Internet," Sears said. "And I don't think a lot of us (lawmakers) have a problem with that."

The changes Vermont will have to make under the federal law are complex.

<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_10019348?source=rss_viewed

Knoxx

08-19-2008, 03:01 PM

Dedicated to Brooke Bennett Slain girl's supporters swell ranks of Walk for Children

August 17, 2008
By SARAH HINCKLEY Staff Writer

MONTPELIER – Saturday was Crystal Swan's first visit to the capital city and she did a walking tour.

Swan is the director of the New England School of Hair Design in West Lebanon, N.H., where Savanna Andress – Brooke Bennett's sister – is a student. During the harrowing week of Brooke's disappearance earlier this summer, at least 50 students and faculty of New England School of Hair Design were on hand to help. Early Saturday, members of that same group, dressed in purple T-shirts, gathered around one of their own to walk three miles in the 2008 Walk for Children.

Andress, along with her mother Cassandra Gagnon, cousin Courtney Jacques and brother Dennis Andress, sported a purple T-shirt that said, "The New England School of Hair Design Loves Brooke" on the back.

James Bennett and his wife Janet were also walking with a support crew who were all wearing T-shirts that said, "Justice for Brooke," on the front with her photo, and "Never Again," written on the back.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080817/NEWS/808170403/1004/NEWS03

Tom'sGirl

08-19-2008, 03:07 PM

Knoxx

08-19-2008, 03:31 PM

THE 2008 WALK FOR CHILDREN
DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF BROOKE BENNETT
August 23rd in Burlington
http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=369

Tom'sGirl

10-01-2008, 06:02 PM

http://i37.tinypic.com/24yczud.jpg
http://blackpearl.wcax.com/documents/Jacques_indictment.PDF (http://blackpearl.wcax.com/documents/Jacques_indictment.PDF)

Tom'sGirl

10-01-2008, 07:33 PM

Gagnon Will Face Child Porn Charges in Texas (http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=9108255)
Fox44 News - Colchester,Vermont,USA
A Federal Grand Jury in the Western District of Texas covering San Antonio has indicted Ray Gagnon on charges of production and transportation of child pornography.

Tom'sGirl

10-08-2008, 09:43 PM

Family and Friends Protest Outside Jacques Arraignment (http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=9149049)
Fox44 News - Colchester,Vermont,USA

Updated: Oct 8, 2008 05:17 PM PDT
Charges against a Vermont man accused in the kidnapping and death of his niece move forward.

In early July, Michael Jacques's niece -- 12-year-old Brooke Bennett's body was found suffocated, strangled and sexually assaulted in a shallow grave near his home. Today Jacques chose not to appear in federal court but his lawyers entered not guilty pleas for him.

Some Brooke Bennett's family and friends held signs in front of the courthouse reading "Brooke's justice begins today."

The idea was Bennett's step-mother's. Janet Bennett said, "we showed up for Brooke to see that justice starts for her today."