GUILTY IN - Ft Wayne Man escapes home detention fatally stabs girlfriend and 3 young children, June 2021 *arrest*

[IceIce9]

Docs: Fort Wayne man escaped home detention in Lafayette before killing girlfriend, 3 children - WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

. When officers entered, they found a woman, identified Thursday as Sarah Zent, dead and kneeling by a bed in a downstairs bedroom. Three “small children,” whose ages and identities were not given on Thursday, were lying facedown on the same bed. Zent’s age also was not given by authorities. All four victims appeared to have been stabbed in the neck and were pronounced dead at the scene, court documents say.

 

[Trinitee]

What a horrific crime and so very sad.

 

[IceIce9]

This is the 4th mass murder in Indiana in 2021.

 

[SBops]

This is horrendous.

 

[Marg from Oz]

Sounds like he was under the influence of something. MOO

 

[Marg from Oz]

Sounds like he was under the influence of something. MOO

 

[MajorHoople]

Four Victims Identified In Gay Street Homicide Investigation

posted June 3, 2021 - more info and photos at the link

"The Allen County Coroner's Office has released the identities of the people who were killed in Wednesday's multi-homicide investigation.

FWPD Sgt. Jeremy Webb said they responded to the Gay Street home around 10:45 a.m. for an unknown problem and found four people dead in the home.

Those four people included 26-year-old Sarah Zent, 5-year-old Carter Zent, 3-year-old Ashton Zent and 2-year-old Aubree Zent.

According to documents, Sarah Zent was strangled and stabbed to death. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

The Allen County Coroner's Office say all three children died from multiple stab wounds and their deaths have been ruled homicides.

At this time, authorities are not sure what prompted the stabbings of the four victims.

As police made it to the scene, the two initial witnesses who discovered the victims immediately identified the suspect as Hancz-Barron."

 

[MajorHoople]

Family of mother, children killed in home want you to know about them

"Sarah Zent's family wanted us to know more about her and her three small children, as well as her connection to the man charged with killing them all.

A family spokesperson talked exclusively to Corinne Rose.

"The family saw way more than they should have, and they're going to have nightmares for the rest of their lives," Stacey Davis said.

Davis married into the victims' family 20 years ago and remained close after a divorce.

The family designated her as their spokesperson.

She says a relative went to 26-year-old Sarah Zent's home on Gay Street Wednesday morning and found her and her three small children in a downstairs bedroom.

"It's devastating. It's just absolutely devastating. To see the scene and then to see the body bags brought out, it's more than a single person can bear," she said.

Zent was found next to a bed that held the bodies of five-year-old Carter, three-year-old Ashton, and their two-year-old sister Aubree.

Davis says Zent and the suspect, 21-year-old Cohen Hancz-Barron, previously had a romantic relationship but that he had been staying with Zent as a friend, convincing her he wanted to turn his life around."

 

[SBops]

This man killed a woman and three children by stabbing them to death and the thread has 7 posts. Why is there huge interest in some crimes, but not others?

 

[Marg from Oz]

Maybe because he was caught straight away and we are waiting for more reporting on it. Maybe he was a clean skin before this or he managed to stay under the radar and there is nothing known about him. He is the only one we can sleuth. Anyone from Indiana know anything about him? MOO

 

[Filly]

He was released from prison early on armed robbery to Home For Hope. A drug detox center. All included in the article. He wasnon electronic monitoring.

Well we know how that works so well. Detox? Didn't he do that in prison? Sober living I can see, but not a violent criminal with an ankle bracelet.

It's beyond sickening and devastating what he did to this little family.

 

[realanastasia]

Sadly, the interview with the “family spokesperson” implies that the murders may have been the result of SZ telling the murderer in no uncertain terms to get the heck out of her house immediately (she is described as not being the type to mince words):

“Davis says Zent and the suspect, 21-year-old Cohen Hancz-Barron, previously had a romantic relationship but that he had been staying with Zent as a friend, convincing her he wanted to turn his life around.
"She had realized probably with the last week or 10 days that he really didn't want to work that out, that he just was hiding from the police, and was devising a strategy to get him out of her house. So we suspect that that possibly is part of the motivation. But other than that we really don't know," Davis said”
[SBM]
“Davis says Zent and her sister actually lived with her for two years when they were young.
"She was ornery. Her and her sister both, they were just full of life and spunk. And even as adults they didn't have a problem telling you how it was and you never had a problem knowing how you stood with them," she said.
She says Zent had gotten her life back on track, regained custody of her three children, and had been doing well.”

AFAIK, no MSM source has yet explained why SZ lost custody of the children in the first place. It’s possible that substance or mental health issues could’ve played a role. If true, then this—and her apparent recovery—likely made her more inclined to try to help others in their own recoveries. Too late, she realized that the murderer had no intention of changing his ways.

No matter what, though, neither she nor her children did anything to deserve the terrible violence inflicted on them.

 

[JoeFromLB]

The only good thing to come out of this horrific crime is that Indiana still has the death penalty. It's entirely appropriate in this case, imo.

 

[FrostedGlass]

Here's his case number; he has his first hearing on 06/08.
02D05-2106-MC-001691

Here's his case number for the robbery
75C01-1908-F3-000007
Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase

He had a plea agreement that reduced his charge from an F3 down to an F5. They sentenced him to 6 years with none suspended but did allow him to be on electronically-monitored home detention through Allen County Community Corrections if he was accepted. It looks like he, instead, went to Tippecanoe County Community Corrections. I can't tell if he served any time actually imprisoned after sentencing.

 

[BrownRice]

OMG. This is a horrible story. And the imagery of her kneeling next to her children’s bed. Just too much. That poor woman and her babies. I’m surprised too it hasn’t been all over the news.

 

[IceIce9]

I have commented on several different threads that I can’t believe how some terrible crimes receive little to no attention.

There was an article yesterday in the Indianapolis Star about missing persons in Indiana, there are currently 1,180 missing persons in Indiana yet only a few receive attention.

.
National media and true crime bloggers have dissected every angle in Spierer’s case. She, Giza, McClerkin and Nguyen are listed among the roughly 1,180 people declared missing in Indiana, according to a running bulletin kept by Indiana State Police.

Most cases never make it to the national spotlight.

Lauren Spierer is one of many: 3 untold stories of missing Hoosiers

 

[Filly]

I wonder if his PO knew he left the halfway house and was staying at Sarah's?

Too late now, but I am sure House Of Hope would check in with the PO.

 

[mickey2942]

This man killed a woman and three children by stabbing them to death and the thread has 7 posts. Why is there huge interest in some crimes, but not others?

I don't know. Maybe when people are "missing" it garners more community involvement, and media. Than when they are actually found "dead".

This tragedy highlights the serious impact of domestic violence. Sadly.

As hard as it may be, when you break up with someone, and they come back, don't let him or her in the house, call the police immediately.

 

[BrownRice]

I wonder if his PO knew he left the halfway house and was staying at Sarah's?

Too late now, but I am sure House Of Hope would check in with the PO.

“House of hope.” Oh the irony. I wonder what his background and family story is. Cohen Bennett (first/middle name) sounds like he should have been an author or musician. I like to think his parents had a promising outlook for his upbringing and future, but assume drugs got in the way. Of course could be wrong.

 

[Filly]

“House of hope.” Oh the irony. I wonder what his background and family story is. Cohen Bennett (first/middle name) sounds like he should have been an author or musician. I like to think his parents had a promising outlook for his upbringing and future, but assume drugs got in the way. Of course could be wrong.

Actually it's homewithhope.org my apologies and some of the articles I read called it something else.

I'm befuddled. They let him out and put him in rehab while on his electronics BS. He escaped. Checking out the site it absolutely helps people if they work it. Minimum 120 day stay. He got in March and escaped by April.

Also up front you need $387 bills to cover your first two weeks drug screening. Oh and another $100 admission fee. Bring your own clothing, sheets etc.

Yep @BrownRice I wonder as well how he grew up or was raised. No blame to families. Thanks to @IceIce9 for all the links they said he had not spoken to his mom in two years. Just called her poof to say Happy Birthday and then poof shows up at her house "talking crazy". She gave him the boot.

Seems like he had a relationship with his step mom and called and went to see her. Gave her information eluding to what happened.

As usual I try to see the why and how in things. It's senseless. Three innocent little ones and their Mama brutally murdered.

This guy was actually PO'd at something else and took it out on this little family.

Noting to say not blaming the rehab, parents or friends. The system yeah. HIM yeah. As I still wonder what world has a rehab like that when you're kicked loose from lockup?