Michael Jacques, the accused killer of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, had his lawyers plead not guilty for him yesterday. The scumbag couldn’t even man up and show his face in court.
It could be six months before the feds decide on pursuing the death penalty or not.
Michael Jacques’ Other Victim:
If you’ve been reading this site for a while you’ll know that one of the stories regularly featured here is the story of Brooke Bennett.
12-year-old Brooke disappeared and was allegedly raped and killed by her uncle Michael Jacques. Jacques was a sex offender who went through Vermont’s ‘treatment’ for sex offenders and was released early from his sentence.
Now Channel 3 in Burlington, Vermont have uncovered information that there was a victim of Jacques that he never went to jail for.
At the time of her rape in 1987, the woman was only 13 years old. Jacques was 20 at the time. According to her, Jacques used to lure girls to his place all the time with booze and drugs.
However, the records of this mysteriously disappeared and public officials weren’t saying anything about it.
I highly recommend reading the entire article. It just goes to show how some people are more worried about the feelings of a repeat sex offender than they are the safety of the public at large.
Jacques indicted: Brooke Bennett assaulted, strangled, smothered
Michael Jacques was indicted yesterday in the disappearance of his niece 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Jacques is facing federal charges so that makes him oh so eligible for the death penalty.
A grand jury says convicted rapist Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph drugged, sexually assaulted, strangled and smothered Brooke and placed a plastic bag over her head. The six-count indictment calls the killing premeditated, intentional and “especially heinous, cruel, or depraved.”
This article states that Jacques has also been charged with her murder.
To read the PDF of the indictment you can go here.
Speaking of indictments, Jacque’s cohort, Ray Gagnon who is also Brooke Bennett’s ex-stepfather, has also been indicted. He was indicted in the state of Texas, where he lives on child porn charges. The U.S. District Attorney has dropped the obstruction charges against Gagnon so he could be easily extradited to Texas.
Have fun in Texas prison, Ray.
Death Penalty Experts Join Jacques’ Defense Team:
The fancy pants lawyers that will be advising Michael Jacques are David Ruhnke and Jean DeSales Barrett of the New Jersey law firm of Ruhnke & Barrett.
After slogging through the spam that most lawyer pages are I did find out that they are specialists in federal death penalty cases. Jacques is facing federal charges of kidnapping on the death of his niece Brooke Bennett. Jacques is also a convicted sex offender.
Allegedly Ruhnke & Barrett have never had a client executed. If Jacques is guilty of Brooke’s death here’s hoping their streak comes to an end.
Jacques Assigned More Lawyers:
The accused kidnapper and possible killer of Brooke Bennett has been assigned some more legal assistance. Michael Jacques will be receiving legal counsel from a husband and wife team of lawyers from New Jersey. It’s alleged that none of their clients have ever been put to death.
If they usually practice in New Jersey that’s no big feat. Jersey hasn’t executed anyone since before I was born and they did away with the death penalty this year.
So will the prosecution now get a legal team that has had everyone they’ve prosecuted executed? I hope so. If Jacques is guilty of the crimes he’s accused of he needs to be put down like a dog.
Vermont does not have the death penalty but Jacques is more than likely looking at federal charges.
State wanted suspect’s early probation release:
The state government of Vermont is really earning their reputation as being child molester friendly.
It was released yesterday that the Department of Corrections in Vermont recommended an early release for Michael Jacques. The same Michael Jacques who in 1993 kidnapped and sexually assaulted an underage girl. The same Michael Jacques who is Brooke Bennett’s uncle and the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Judge Amy Davenport approved the early release for Jacques in 2006, seven years early.
Now I know hindsight is 20/20 and all that but you would think that any state government in this country would want a violent sex offender like Jacques to serve out his entire sentence.
Brooke Bennett’s parents have finally spoken to the media.
Brooke’s father and stepmother, Jim and Janet Bennett, basically want to see Michael Jacques burn in hell.
“I hope they put him away forever and he rots in hell,” says Janet Bennett, Brooke’s stepmother.
Brooke’s mother, Cassandra Gagnon, agrees…
“I hate that I’ve got so much anger in me, but I think the death penalty is what he deserves, but I think that is a sweet justice for him,” she says.
Now a lot of you have been questioning why Brooke’s mother would leave her alone around a known sex offender. She had this to say…
Gagnon says she never allowed her daughter to visit Jacques house if another adult wasn’t present.
“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.”
I’m sure you’ll have a lot to say about that.
In court papers, Jacques accused of falsifying Web posts:
Yesterday when I posted about the discovery of Brooke Bennett’s body I wasn’t sure if her body was found on her uncle’s property or not. It turns out a fresh grave was discovered on a rural road just off of Michael Jacques’ property.
Now here’s the reason I didn’t want to post Brooke Bennet’s MySpace, it was, in fact, a fake. Police say that Jacques is the one who changed Brooke’s account to make reference to how she was supposedly leaving Vermont for Texas to meet someone. Jacques even told police about the MySpace in an attempt to throw them off the track.
By the time I post this (as I am writing it Thursday morning), Jacques may have already been charged with federal kidnapping. If also charged with federal murder Jacques could be looking at the death penalty. The feds may have jurisdiction since I believe tampering with someone’s MySpace like that in order to hide a crime may be a federal offense.
Now on to Brooke’s former stepfather Ray Gagnon. He’s been arrested for destroying evidence. That evidence turned out to be a laptop filled with child porn. Gagnon called his landlord back in Texas and asked him to destroy the computer. Gagnon also had a hand in altering Brooke’s MySpace after speaking with Jacques. Gagnon is also looking at federal charges but as of now those charges aren’t clear but I would assume they would also be for tampering with Brooke’s MySpace.
The body of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was found earlier today. The article was unclear whether her body was found near her uncle’s property or not but only says that her body was found in Randolph, Vermont, the same town where her uncle lives.
If you’ll remember her uncle, Michael Jacques, is alleged to have been part of a child sex ring known as Breckenridge. Now details are emerging that Brooke was to be initiated into that ring.
In an affidavit released Wednesday, federal officials said a 14-year-old girl told authorities she helped Jacques take Brooke to his Randolph home on June 25 to be initiated into a child sex ring to which he belonged.
No word yet if her death is being treated as a homicide.
My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Brooke Bennett’s friends and family.
First, before I get into the post I want to make one thing clear to my readers and commenters.
Stop posting links to Brooke Bennett’s MySpace. I have a rule about posting the MySpaces of victims. I don’t. End of discussion.
Former Stepfather Implicated in Disappearance:
40-year-old Ray Gagnon of Texas was arrested during the same investigation that netted Brooke’s uncle Michael Jacques. Neither has been named as a suspect in Brooke’s disappearance.
Gagnon is accused of destroying evidence and sexually assaulting a minor last summer in Vermont.
Now here’s where it gets really scary. Michael Jacques belonged to a child sex ring called Breckenridge. Police aren’t saying if Gagnon was involved.
In my opinion, these two investigations are now linked but that’s just a hunch. There’s just way too many coincidences.
If you can stomach the details the police affidavit against Jacques is here in PDF format. (Source)