Brooke Bennett, 12 years old Randolph VT #19

[Starr58]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA071108.01B.Vermont_Killing.EN.3f2d36a.html

FBI scours landfill for trashed safe

"The affidavit said Gagnon acknowledged that he had downloaded child onto a laptop computer and hard drives he kept in his safe.

In the safe, he also kept photos he received from Jacques of an underage couple engaged in sexual acts, according to the affidavit. "

 

[Starr58]

Why wasn't KG charged with destroying evidence?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

And yet, we hear of women who also commit horrible sex crimes against minors.

Sexual crimes do NOT require a penis or testicles or even a sex drive.

I agree! I think they are a bit naive about rape of anyone. Castration won't stop them...it will only make them angrier and more sadistic, imo.

 

[CarpeDiem]

The Amber Alert was issued and broadcast thru the media just not on the electronic billboards by the roads.

They managed to get through to the State Lottery Commission too. The Alert was printed on all VT Lottery Tickets.

 

[LI_Mom]

IIRC - they didn't know she was with MJ. She said she was going to visit a friend's relative in the hospital, right? It may very well be that Brooke's mom had told her never to be alone with MJ. She was a typical teen pushing the envelope. Telling her parents she was going with a friend to visit a relative in the hospital when she THOUGHT she was going to a "party."

To tell the truth, I can't keep all the lies straight. lol

I think the hospital story was supposed to be what Brooke told AR & MJ when they dropped her off. (When in reality they were telling Brooke the story about the make believe party)

All her mother needed to know was that she planned on spending the day with her cousin... IF her mother believed MJ would be at work, why would she be concerned?????

We don't know whether Cassandra works & what HER schedule was that day. We DO know that Brooke's sister Savanna was working that day... or at least MJ & AR mentioned her being at work on 'the' day.

 

[DianeB]

i dont see how it contributes to the story/investigation AT ALL to speculate about brooke's possible sexual activity or intentions leading up to the day she was abducted. i dont think there is any strong evidence regarding the matter, and i think the speculation included in the post is particularly wild and very questionable.

I have to disagree with you here. If we're discussing the investigation, there is no doubt that one avenue LE will be trying to get a handle on is whether Brooke was consensually sexually active, and if so, with whom. It's possible that many people in her family would be unaware if she was, but likely that AR would have been privy to that kind of information given her own situation.

That said, I agree with you that it's not a cheerful subject to be discussing about a murdered 12 year old girl, but at this point we know very little about her. My gut feeling is that she was not sexually active, but the dad shutting down her myspace page gives me pause.

 

[DianeB]

Why wasn't KG charged with destroying evidence?

Or obstructing justice?

I hope he's sweating bullets right about now.

 

[texas48]

I understand that people get emotionally involved and want to feel a part of things, so I can see why people would want to see the funeral. But, truth is, people want to see all kinds of things that are inappropriate. I'm sure if they televised executions they would get fantastic ratings. But, its not appropriate, neither is televising the funderal of a 12 year old girl who died under horrific circumstances.

But, like I said, I'm old fashioned. I don't agree with the need to report verbatim graphic information or for the public to see the autopsy reports or all kinds of voyeristic things that are done in the name of the public's right to know or society's increasingly narcissistic tendency of posting/photographing/blogging about what used to be private life.

Thats what is great about our country. WE have the right to decide for ourselves if we want to watch whatever is broadcast or we have the right to read whatever is written. It is like a television station....you can always turn the chanel.

 

[Starr58]

Or obstructing justice?

I hope he's sweating bullets right about now.

I would hope they at least polygraphed him prior to spending week looking through the landfill

 

[DianeB]

As soon as Christine gets the emails put in order...they are ready for you to rip apart on that thread. I think I will suggest she move the posts dealing with that topic over there, too.

I saw your transcriptions, and the first thing I thought of were those old Palmolive commercials with Madge ("You're soaking in it!"). I'll bet your poor fingers could use a good massage after all that typing - although I never understood why anyone would soak their hands in dishwashing liquid.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I have to disagree with you here. If we're discussing the investigation, there is no doubt that one avenue LE will be trying to get a handle on is whether Brooke was consensually sexually active, and if so, with whom. It's possible that many people in her family would be unaware if she was, but likely that AR would have been privy to that kind of information given her own situation.

That said, I agree with you that it's not a cheerful subject to be discussing about a murdered 12 year old girl, but at this point we know very little about her. My gut feeling is that she was not sexually active, but the dad shutting down her myspace page gives me pause.

How do you make the huge leap from her dad shutting down her myspace to her being sexually active?!

Her father said he didn't like who she was talking to or something to that effect, IIRC. I think if he read her my space messages and there were some he felt came from strangers (such as MJ playing his stupid parts), then Jim did what ANY good father SHOULD do and shut it down! There is nothing to indicate he did it for ANY overt sexual reasons at all.

 

[CarpeDiem]

Or obstructing justice?

He was. And did not fight a move by the fed's on July 7th to further his detention on the charge.

 

[Chica]

Why wasn't KG charged with destroying evidence?

My guess is (if, in fact, he wasn't charged!) is because he claims he did not know what was in the safe. His story is that he was just doing a friend a favor.

 

[LI_Mom]

I agree! I think they are a bit naive about rape of anyone. Castration won't stop them...it will only make them angrier and more sadistic, imo.

ITA!!!

This "castration" idea is brought up time & time again in order to placate the public, imo.

The brain is the most important sex organ.... maybe in the future, when science has advanced their understanding of brain functions psychosurgery will be the answer... because we certainly can't count on mentally ill or sexually deviant people to take medications.

Of course, there's that slippery slope.... in the wrong hands, power like this can be a real horror for lots of innocent people.

 

[texas48]

We aren't exactly normal people here. We are about as involved in these cases as you can get without actually being a part of LE or the media. We got into this case because we had a missing 12 year old girl who vanished under suspicious circumstances. When we get into a case that takes such obvious horrific turns, we are going to continue to investigate. We also become very emotionally involved because we do care about the people we come to "know" on a certain level. It is hard not to.

If a person is adverse to investigating everything that comes out in a case...they need to understand it is what we do here. We research every detail and try to piece together what actually took place. Sometimes the details are very gruesome, but they are essential parts of the investigation. They wouldn't be released if there were not some logical reason for LE having done so. I don't consider us as "voyeristic" or as having a "narcissistic tendency of posting/photographing/blogging about what used to be private life".

I don't know of many high profile cases where they don't show the funeral or at least the people coming and going. It may not fall under the public's right to know, but I haven't heard many families who are truly offended by it either. The public is and has been notably supportive of the families in such cases.

This is exactly how I feel about it all. Many families in situations like this agree to have the funeral televised in order for "many" to attend,to pay their respect. If the falimly had wanted private service they could have requested that.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I saw your transcriptions, and the first thing I thought of were those old Palmolive commercials with Madge ("You're soaking in it!"). I'll bet your poor fingers could use a good massage after all that typing - although I never understood why anyone would soak their hands in dishwashing liquid.

Thanks! I type really, really fast. It didn't take me long...it was the trip to the store and the phone calls which made it seem much longer. LOL My fingers are still flying just fine since it is what I do all day every day at the office and here. (Maybe they should have "finger" olympic games! hehehe I would so win!)

I remember as a teenager trying that! Hahahahaha~ My mom used to laugh so hard at me. It only made your hands soapy. (I used it to wash my hair with it then, too! Worked great after basketball practice and cheerleading! LOL)

 

[VTNance]

what i find offensive is the particular wording "All this seems to contradict the belief that Brooke was naive, or was an innocent player in the upcoming events leading into June 25."

i dont see how it contributes to the story/investigation AT ALL to speculate about brooke's possible sexual activity or intentions leading up to the day she was abducted. i dont think there is any strong evidence regarding the matter, and i think the speculation included in the post is particularly wild and very questionable.

Liljim, I appreciate what you are saying. Brooke was an innocent victim, whatever her experience was (or was not) with boys. But, I respectfully disagree that it has nothing to do with the investigation... because it could tell us a lot about what kind of things went on over at Jacques' house. IF these guys were involved in a ring (and I know not everyone thinks they are...but we don't know)...they had to have somebody to photo.... it could have been kids who thought they were just having a good time "partying" but did not know they were being caught on camera. I know that sounds sick, but is possible! I certainly didn't raise my questions about that (not in the post you mentioned) to slander Brooke. Only to try to figure out the truth. "JMHO" and RIP Brooke.

 

[becca]

Does anyone know whether it was text messaged out to people who subscribe to Amber Alerts?

Good question and I have no answers.... maybe someone local could answer that. I know I get them on my phone here in Fl.I also get an email from FDLE.

 

[DianeB]

How do you make the huge leap from her dad shutting down her myspace to her being sexually active?!

Her father said he didn't like who she was talking to or something to that effect, IIRC. I think if he read her my space messages and there were some he felt came from strangers (such as MJ playing his stupid parts), then Jim did what ANY good father SHOULD do and shut it down! There is nothing to indicate he did it for ANY overt sexual reasons at all.

This is Mr Bennett's quote about her myspace page:

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father's supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to the father, James Bennett, 41, of Bethel.

"We told her when we set it up there that's things you're not gonna' do," he said. "We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn't use it," he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn't know until a week ago. The girl lives with her mother in Braintree, not with Bennett.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080626/NEWS/604791185

What kind of posted text/photos(?) would have caused him to change her password? My personal interpretation was that they were of a mature nature (couldn't think of another plausible reason), and he was uncomfortable with it.

Of course I could be wrong!

 

[Starr58]

He was. And did not fight a move by the fed's on July 7th to further his detention on the charge.

Kevin G was NOT charged. Gagnon was. Correct?