Brooke Bennett, 12 years old Randolph VT #19

[InsomniacWoman]

I attributed her self-defensiveness to recriminations she must have been receiving privately, and questions she was being asked by LE.

True, very true!

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Maybe I live in a different world, but language and having 16 or 17 yr olds on their myspace would not make me question if they were sexually active. She was 12 yrs old!!!!

The fact of the matter is...Brooke DID NOT meet someone she met on myspace. She thought she was meeting someone that AR set her up with. This does NOT call into question her morality. I personally believe this 12 year old girl was innocent and naive about such things.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Busy!

 

[becca]

This is my 2 cents on some of the topics being posted about. Never do we as sleuths and advocates for victims , re victimize them. Alive or not... we do not make them victims over and over again. Once was enough.... plus the families are victims.... even though I don't give the mothers a free pass , they are still family members. This family is far and wide due to divorces and re marriages. The many members of it are now victims right along with Brooke. There are children involved here.... not only Brooke's siblings but Juv1/AR has a sister. Even AR herself is a victim and all the talk about how she is a lost cause is horrible... she is still a child and not a lost cause. Yes she has been damaged beyond belief but we don't throw our children away. We work to save them. She might never have a normal life , but she is worth a shot at it. Every child is. It just takes work. Hopefully the state will see that she gets the help she needs to point her in the right direction.
I guess I'll step off my soap box. I didn't mean to offend anyone, just stick up for the victims, including the family.

 

[DianeB]

While I agree with discussing things pertinent to a case to the max, I honestly don't believe that Brooke being abducted, tortured, and murdered has anything to do with if she was active or not. I don't think we need to be going there personally. Since when is a victim's prior sexual behavior part of such a case? We don't even go there when we discuss a hooker being abducted/tortured/murdered.

What if her uncle had molested her previously? Wouldn't that be germane to the discussion?

 

[VTNance]

What if her uncle had molested her previously? Wouldn't that be germane to the discussion?

diane B., we are on the same page, no disrespect meant to Brooke or anyone who disagrees, but I think it is pertinent. Not making any kind of moral judgement about Brooke, just trying to get the real picture by asking those questions. ("Just the facts ma'am")

And sadly, there are definitely kids in 7th and 8th grade who are sexually active, esp. those from families who leave them unsupervised/unguided/expose them to things like *advertiser censored* (in ARs house) and even just the crap that is on mainstream TV and movies. it is really sad but true.

 

[LI_Mom]

Do we know if either of Brooke's myspace pages were private, or were they made private when she went missing?

I don't remember.

The page her father made for her had the password changed so she couldn't even log in to her own site.

Then she made a new page BUT as we know MJ had her password to that account so the public never really knew WHAT her page might have looked like BEFORE she was reported missing.


I think most of the people from that town made their pages private after the news broke so they wouldn't be hounded.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It has nothing to do with Brooke's kidnap & murder. But it may have something to do with Jacques and his activities. That's how I see it, I surely don't mean any disrespect to Brooke in any way, shape or form, if I bring up such questions.

Respectfully, I would ask that we refrain from branding Brooke in such a way. We have no facts to back it up and it is pure speculation. If she were being abused before she was so viciously murdered, I think we would be hearing it in the charges against these perps.

 

[Busylady]

All myspaces are automatically private if you list the age as 14. So yes all her pages would of been private.

 

[VTNance]

Respectfully, I would ask that we refrain from branding Brooke in such a way. We have no facts to back it up and it is pure speculation.

I am not "branding" Brooke in any way, shape, or form. I didn't even say she WAS active I merely asked some questions regarding the e-mails which seemed strange to me and pertinent. But I will stop. I appreciate everyone's concern for Brooke. Good night.

 

[DianeB]

As I posted earlier, I personally don't think she was sexually active yet.

However, I think LE would be remiss in not pursuing the possibility when creating her profile, if for no other reason than to discount AR's email suggestion that Brooke could be lured by the prospect of meeting up with a "hot guy".

 

[LI_Mom]

diane B., we are on the same page, no disrespect meant to Brooke or anyone who disagrees, but I think it is pertinent. Not making any kind of moral judgement about Brooke, just trying to get the real picture. ("Just the facts ma'am")

And sadly, there are definitely kids in 7th and 8th grade who are sexually active, esp. those from families who leave them unsupervised/unguided/expose them to things like *advertiser censored* (in ARs house) and even just the crap that is on mainstream TV and movies. it is really sad but true.

But it's ONLY speculation. We don't even know WHAT their final plan was to tell Brooke.

There's NO reason to believe she was sexually active or even beyond the stage of holding hands or maybe playing Spin the Bottle at a boy/girl party.

But if she was sexually active..... why should that make ANY difference in this case?

 

[becca]

But it's ONLY speculation. We don't even know WHAT their final plan was to tell Brooke.

There's NO reason to believe she was sexually active or even beyond the stage of holding hands or maybe playing Spin the Bottle at a boy/girl party.

But if she was sexually active..... why should that make ANY difference in this case?

It wouldn't. LE knows enough from the autopsy. They don't need us to speculate on this subject.

 

[LI_Mom]

We don't know whether Cassandra works & what HER schedule was that day. QUOTE]

I just found this news transcript on a TV3 CAX website, (not sure if this has been posted here earlier):

http://tv3.wcax.com/n/sat6p.htm

But in part there is a quote (among many) by Cassandra as saying: "Gagnon: "They have no idea. I could have been right next to her and someone could have grabbed her. I was at work and I knew where my children were. They always talk to me, so if people want to judge me, that's their choice, but to hell with them."

What I'm puzzled about is if Cassandra means she was at work on June 25th.
Then again, she probably was. She also mentions that she never allowed her daughter to visit MJ's house if another adult wasn't present.

As I've said, I'm not sure if the quotes from TV3 CAX website had been posted earlier here, I just found it now, after doing a Google search on Cassandra's name, to see if something came up as to if she worked and where.

Yes, I also always assumed she was at work that day.

It's a Wednesday.... a day when all the adults are at their jobs.


Sadly, the biggest danger to Brooke was AR & nobody knew it.

 

[SuziQ]

Seriously you guys, all Brooke wanted was to meet a guy she thought was in to her. That's all. He was unfortunately for her, completely made up by MJ and AR. Give the girl a break. She had no clue what was coming at her. Doesn't anyone remember when they were 12? Can you imagine Brooke's broken heart when she realized it was all a lie and she had been betrayed by people close to her?

 

[LI_Mom]

It wouldn't. LE knows enough from the autopsy. They don't need us to speculate on this subject.

Exactly.

IMO, Brooke is a TOTALLY innocent victim. And I happen to think she was targeted because she WAS sexually innocent.

MJ was getting bored with an experienced & willing 'partner.'

 

[LI_Mom]

Seriously you guys, all Brooke wanted was to meet a guy she thought was in to her. That's all. He was unfortunately for her, completely made up by MJ and AR. Give the girl a break. She had no clue what was coming at her. Doesn't anyone remember when they were 12? Can you imagine Brooke's broken heart when she realized it was all a lie and she had been betrayed by people close to her?

Amen SuziQ.

 

[becca]

Exactly.

IMO, Brooke is a TOTALLY innocent victim. And I happen to think she was targeted because she WAS sexually innocent.

MJ was getting bored with an experienced & willing 'partner.'

He is the one that really needs talked about .... not Brooke.
You can smear him from Vermont all the way to Fl and I wouldn't care one iota.... the kids are another story.

 

[CarpeDiem]

Seriously you guys, all Brooke wanted was to meet a guy she thought was in to her. That's all. He was unfortunately for her, completely made up by MJ and AR. Give the girl a break. She had no clue what was coming at her. Doesn't anyone remember when they were 12? Can you imagine Brooke's broken heart when she realized it was all a lie and she had been betrayed by people close to her?

Thank You Suzi. The betrayal, confusion, pain she must have felt is unmeasurable. It's absolutely heartbreaking when you allow your self to think of her final hours.

 

[Native New Yorker]

often are of course forced into sexual activity...and it would indeed be germane to this case if ( as I posted a few days ago) Brooke had been forced into activity, and then wanted to stop. This could have been a motive for killing her, as she would then know too much, and be dangerous.
I do not view any of this as libelous, it just goes to speculation of how far back her victimization went.

And speaking in general terms, and not about this case....
Yes, it is a scary world in which to raise children. To all parents, I would say, spend time with your children, even if it means financial sacrifice...kids are more important than a nice house or car. Of course, if you are working long hours just to put food on the table, that is very different.
KNOW your children, their friends, their music. Do not just become an outsider to their lives as they become teens. Too many parents back off at this time.Time spent with your children is like money in the bank. That goes for all of us, rich or poor....married or single, when it comes to our children, they are truly our most precious resource.
Off my soapbox now, hope I have not offended anyone...and good night to all.

 

[LI_Mom]

often are of course forced into sexual activity...and it would indeed be germane to this case if ( as I posted a few days ago) Brooke had been forced into activity, and then wanted to stop. This could have been a motive for killing her, as she would then know too much, and be dangerous.
I do not view any of this as libelous, it just goes to speculation of how far back her victimization went.

And speaking in general terms, and not about this case....
Yes, it is a scary world in which to raise children. To all parents, I would say, spend time with your children, even if it means financial sacrifice...kids are more important than a nice house or car. Of course, if you are working long hours just to put food on the table, that is very different.
KNOW your children, their friends, their music. Do not just become an outsider to their lives as they become teens. Too many parents back off at this time.Time spent with your children is like money in the bank. That goes for all of us, rich or poor....married or single, when it comes to our children, they are truly our most precious resource.
Off my soapbox now, hope I have not offended anyone...and good night to all.

The reason I don't buy the theory is because they spent SO LONG planning this kidnapping.

IF someone is a risk to you... you deal with it IMMEDIATELY, you don't take chances.

No they were leisurely in their planning how to reel her in.... there only concern was making sure people were at work & wouldn't spoil their fun.