IL - Benjamin Sargent, 5 mos, dies of extreme neglect, Peoria, 12 Feb 2008

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Yes, thank you for the update, Dawn.
 
I found myself thinking about this baby today :(
 
hipmamajen,

Their trial date was supposed to be May 12th (according to this article:
http://www.week.com/news/local/16348926.html ) I wonder if it has been postponed.

This is in the comments after articles:

Sunday, Mar 9 at 9:03 PM Samantha wrote ...
In reply to Tina.I agree we'd always tell someone and they thought we were lying...We was told that he also stabbed his mother in the stomach with a screwdriver while she was pregnant because he was jealous..he was in a mental institution at one time...I believe that since he was in an institute he shouldn't have been aloud to have a child in his care ever...I think it's ridiculous that these parents did this and that it is gonna take so long to go to trial.it is clearly an open & shut case

Saturday, Mar 8 at 9:43 PM Jen wrote ...
Tracy did have a daughter as well. She is in foster care now, although she was living with a relative before this happened. Benjamin may not have been underweight before this instance, and others may have just thought he was a light child if he was. Each child grows differently. The only reason this child was 10 pounds when they found him was because he had starved for eight days. This is so sad, and I cannot believe the parents say they are not guilty!
 
I don't think this has been posted yet. It is from May 20th:

Mother Gives Up Parental Rights To Surviving Child

A woman accused of starving her five-month-old infant to death earlier this year has voluntarily given up her rights as a parent to her surviving 3-year-old child.

and

An August 4 trial has been set for the pair. If convicted, they face up to 100 years in prison.


http://www.week.com/news/local/19102419.html

I thought the death penalty was being sought.
 
It will be August at the earliest before a Peoria County jury hears the state's case again two parents accused of starving their five-month-old son to death.

A judge today allowed a defense motion to delay the trial of Tracy Herman and James Sargent until August 4. A trial date had been scheduled for May 12.


http://www.week.com/news/local/18500214.html
 
That poor little boy. I can't imagine what he endured in his short little life. Thank gosh he is now in a better place. I hope the parents get what they deserve. I'm not always for the death penalty but when I hear of cases like this it puts things into perspective.
 
Thank you! I'd looked for updates in the news and couldn't find any. I'm glad they're pursuing this case so aggressively.
 
Any updates? I'm having a hard time finding articles. :(
 
UGH! WHY???? WHY???? Common sense! Seriously!!! If you think this is ok....you are sick!!!! Cars get HOT!!!! I am in MI and my car has been so hot that I have actually waited before putting my children in it. How can people be so stupid?
 
He wasn't in a car. He was strapped into a car seat in a snowsuit, then left to starve to death inside the home...in a crib. One or both of his parents were there the whole time. It's a really awful case. :(
 
the trial was supposed to be August but I have not read that it has even started, anybody know if they delayed it and set a new trial date
 
Anyone have word on the start date of this trial? Wasn't it supposed to be around now?

The white-hot rage I feel when I think about this case demands closure. I'm not usually one of those vigilante-sounding girls, but this case makes me want to bring back some of the hardcore French methods of execution. I understand why they're not seeking the DP, but if anyone deserves it...

Ah, answered my own question. Trial is set for May. As of now.
 
I wonder why it is taking so long to get to trial? I can't stand to think of what that little guy went through. The parents must be addicts and were high all of the time. How could you ignore the crys of a little baby if your are straight? This woman's daughter wasn't living with her and so why did CPS let her take that baby home from the hospital? I am glad that she signed her 3 yr old away. Maybe a couple will adopt her and give her a good life. This mom knew that she wasn't going to be around to raise her daughter. She won't have a good time in prison!
 
That's one thing I was unclear about. All the articles I read said that they removed the three year old from the home; there was no reference as to what she was doing in those eight days.

So was she just visiting when she was removed from the home, was she living there, or was she not there at all? What were the custody arrangements?

Poor Benjamin was failed on so many levels, by so many people. His subhuman parents, the grandmother, and even the presumably well-meaning guy who put him in the crib, in the seat, in the snowsuit.

Have they ever released pictures of the home? I can't imagine it's a large place; I'd like to see just how close James and Tracy were to the bedroom as they played video games. I heard it was disgusting. There's so much I want to know with this case, and there's just not a lot out there.

This case does scream methamphetamines. As soon as I read that bit about Tracy wandering around outside without a coat, that's where my mind went.
 
Re: the other daughter, IIRC she had been given away by the mother to someone else in her family. Not a formal adoption, and not Child Services taking her away.

<looking> Ok, here, in the court docs attached to the above link from MomofBoys the prosecutor writes:

"Tracy Hermann also has a daughter (almost 3) who Tracy Hermann seems to have 'given away' to another family member. A shelter care hearing on the matter now pends in Circuit Court because I am also seeking to remove her permanently and forever from any contact with Tracy Hermann."

I never saw any accounts where the daughter was present at the home during the 8 days in question. Thank goodness.

I sure would like to hear a reasonable explanation for how this happened. This case haunts me sometimes, mostly because I just can't get my head around the circumstances. I can't figure how a mother would carry a child to term and then ignore it... I can't figure how the roommate moved the carseat and never said anything... I can't figure how the mother tucked a bottle in next to a five-month old and hoped he would feed himself although he was already dead. <sigh> I do hope this little baby gets some justice.
 
Thank you, SewingDeb, that is very interesting... I will be interested to see how this all ends up.
 
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