http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23262198

Quote :

"Prosecutors are calling it a horrific case of child abuse. Today they charged the parents of a 5-month-old Peoria boy with first-degree murder. 21-year-old Tracey Hermann and 23-year-old James Sargent are accused of gross neglect and starvation of their baby. Last week Sargent called 9-1-1 from the family's Proctor Street home in Peoria. When rescue personnel arrived they found the baby unresponsive seated in a car seat placed inside a crib. Investigators now believe the child had been strapped in the car seat without food or water for eight days. States Attorney Kevin Lyons said the room was about 80 degrees when the baby was fgound. The boy was wearing a snowsuit and held in the car seat by a rope. He said there are times "when crying yourself to sleep no longer works, and you cry yourself to death." Tracey Hermann has another child, a three year old girl. The state is moving to have that child permanently removed from Hermann. Because of the age of the Benjamin Sargent, both James Sargent and Tracey Hermann, are eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Lyons has 120 days from the time Sargent and Hermann are indicted to make that decision. You can see an extended interview with Kevin Lyons tonight on News 25 at 9:00 p.m. on My 59. Here is a copy of Peoria County States Attorney Kevin Lyon's statement to the court: On February 12, 2008, Peoria Police responded to a call at 3012 W. Proctor Street in Peoria. Found dead and strapped in a car seat that had been placed in a crib was 5-month-old Benjamin Sargent. The defendants are his parents. Benjamin was wearing a blue snow suit. It was zipped up. The temperature in the room was near 80 degrees.Benjamin's eyes were open, his hands were clenched in a fistlike position and, although dead, his eyes were staring straight ahead. Police investigation and medical and pahtological examination would reveal that Benjamin had been strapped into this car seat and had not left it in eight days. All waste and urine had collected beneath him and his buttocks, legs and back were eaten into by the resulting poison. Some aste left in benjamin's colon revealed resulted in constipation because it could not be pushed out of his body due to starvation. James Sargent was present at the house and, when interviewed on that day, and again on February 18, his answers to questions confirmed for police that Benjamin had been returned to the residence on february 4, 2008, by a grandmother and he was in the same car seat, wearing the same snow suit, and confined in the same manner as when he was found dead eight days later. A person who 'stayed' with others in the garage of the defendants told police that he was the one who observed Benjamin in the car seat, and on the living room floor, and that it was he who found this odd and so, he placed the child (while in the car seat) in a baby crib in a bedroom. The house was kept in an outrageous condition with nothing in its place, food left out and spoiled, and belongings scattered everywhere. Clothing, articles, spoilage, and debris were stacked everywhere around the house. James Sargent told police he "thought" he had maybe moved Benjamin once or twice during the eight-day period but, upon further questioning, he conceded that he may not have been moved at all. The person from the garage tells police that Benjamin was found just as he had left him eight days earlier. The 'mother' was in Iowa, where she had gone to see a male boyfriend she found over the internet. She told police that caring for her baby Benjamin was not her duty and that it was James' responsibility. Before heading to Iowa on the day before Benjamin was found dead, Tracy Hermann said she looked at the baby in the crib and presumed he was sleeping so she said she stuck a bottle between the baby and the side of the carseat so that he woke up he could grab it and feed himself if he was hungry. In case the court missed it earlier, Benjamin Sargent was five months old. Tracy Hermann also has a daughter, almost 3, who Tracy Hermann seems to have 'given away' to a family member. A shelter care hearing on that matter now pends in the circuit court because I am also seeking to remove her permanently and forever from any contact with Tracy Hermann. Preliminary examination of Benjamin Sargent's body showed that he weighed 10 pounds, suffered from sepsis in the blood and tissue, was without proper liquid and food and that he died from starvation due to neglect by the two defendants who stand before you, Tracey D. Hermann and James E. Sargent."

This is why I'm glad we have the death penalty.

2/22/2008 11:33:40 AM

how did the first kid ever make it through - that's crazy

2/22/2008 11:38:44 AM

This makes me really sad

2/22/2008 11:39:08 AM

i think thats the saddest thing ive ever read

2/22/2008 11:39:48 AM

I wish I didn't read that. Everyone involved should be jailed and tortured.

2/22/2008 11:41:09 AM

jesus christ

2/22/2008 11:42:39 AM

2/22/2008 11:44:43 AM

And some people still think permits shouldn't be required for breeding ...

2/22/2008 11:46:40 AM

ho

ly



christ

2/22/2008 11:47:12 AM

i give this a 5/10

2/22/2008 11:48:31 AM

Forced Castration for the guy

Forceful removal of uterus for the girl

2/22/2008 11:50:16 AM

Anybody that has had kids that age has got to be fucked up after reading that. I cannot imagine either of my little boys going through that. I seriously would like to tie those two down in Death Valley and let the vultures pick at their bodies once they die of exposure.

2/22/2008 11:54:07 AM

idk i mean am i supposed to feel worse cause the victim is a baby instead of a grown adult? i mean sure it sucks but whoopty do...one less kid in the world, 2 parents that will probably be in jail for a while...the end

2/22/2008 11:57:21 AM

Kids are fucking helpless DNL, hence the difference. Now if it had been you that had this happen to you, your right, nobody would give a shit.

2/22/2008 12:01:44 PM

god you are such a queer

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 12:03 PM. Reason : if i were a mod i would suspend you]

2/22/2008 12:02:48 PM

fucking awful

2/22/2008 12:04:36 PM

damn

2/22/2008 12:14:24 PM

2/22/2008 12:29:10 PM

^^^^Says the 23 year old retarded kid with an average of 80 posts a day for over 4 fucking years.

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 12:31 PM. Reason : You really got me. Damn. ]

2/22/2008 12:31:14 PM

stop trolling, this is your only warning...leave that shit for chit chat...you have been registered for too long to act such a fool...

2/22/2008 12:32:24 PM

Take your trolling back to chit chat. One and only warning.

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 12:42 PM. Reason : to DNL if it wasn't clear. ]

2/22/2008 12:33:51 PM

Boot him, this is fucked up beyond belief. I hate the world these days.

2/22/2008 12:39:32 PM

drunknloaded:

Quote :

"yeah thats right you better edit that post [Edited on February 22, 2008 at 12:32 PM. Reason : now that you are padding bullshit i'd suspend you for at least a week]"

drunkntarded why do you even bother making jackass posts to get a rise out of people, then edit your post and deliberately [attempt to] hide the fact that you edited it? this is why you aren't a mod, and with shit like that coming out of your mouth you will never be a mod, so there is no need to say "what you would do" if you were.

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2008 12:44:05 PM

boot dnl, he is an idiot

2/22/2008 12:44:15 PM

Baby drop of zones should be better "advertised" in society. Also safe haven laws should be modified to encompas older children for this reason. Im sure there are people that may have wanted or thought they could care for a child but discovered otherwise. At present there are few easy options for parents who dont want or care about their children but these kids are the ones who pay the price for it

2/22/2008 12:45:55 PM

they don't punish the people who do these sorts of things hard enough

torture should be reserved for stuff like this

2/22/2008 1:11:54 PM

2/22/2008 1:48:31 PM

Quote :

"his answers to questions confirmed for police that Benjamin had been returned to the residence on february 4, 2008, by a grandmother"

Why did grandmother return the baby? There was a person living in the garage, why didn't they do something? Are we missing something? Why did Sargent call the police on himself?

2/22/2008 1:58:52 PM

Whichever editor was responsible for this article should share their penalty.

Sad story though.

2/22/2008 2:06:31 PM

Quote :

"Because of the age of the Benjamin Sargent, both James Sargent and Tracey Hermann, are eligible for the death penalty if convicted."

They'll be killed in prison anyways. Hopefully it will take 8 days of suffering.

2/22/2008 2:07:47 PM

well the one good thing about prison that may be better than the death penalty is that people that have killed, abused, molested, etc children get really beat up. sex offenders and child abusers have a really hard time in prison. which i guess shows that even really heinous criminals have some sense of morality. so they will definitely definitely suffer in prision.

and in regards to the article what the FUCK. are these people crackheads? he thinks he MIGHT have moved the baby sometime in the last eight days? how do you not know? why was it held in its carseat by a rope? why the fuck did the mom think the 5 month old baby could just grab the bottle and feed itself? who is the person that lived with them in the garage? that person sounds like a crackhead too. i mean he noticed it was "odd" the baby was in the carseat...fucking take it out. these people have to be meth heads, crackheads, or otherwise mentally retarded.

and unfortunately for the mother, claming she had no "duty" to care for her child, well...she's wrong.

Quote :

"Baby drop of zones should be better "advertised" in society."

i agree with this, definitely. but these people sound too stupid to even drop their baby at a drop zone. i don't think anything could have helped this situation. clearly everyone living in the house was stupid. the grandmother was stupid. if the house was in such disarray with rotton food everywhere etc why the fuck did she drop the baby back off? who has the daughter? why didn't they think "hmmm maybe i should get the other baby too." stupid stupid stupid stupid. how do people get like this?

2/22/2008 2:19:48 PM

Quote :

"well the one good thing about prison that may be better than the death penalty is that people that have killed, abused, molested, etc children get really beat up. sex offenders and child abusers have a really hard time in prison. which i guess shows that even really heinous criminals have some sense of morality. so they will definitely definitely suffer in prision."

I think that stuff is mostly made up and perpetuated by people who want the most evil people in our society to suffer for what they have done. I'm sure it has happened plenty of times, but plenty of people go to prison and come out just fine with none of that.

2/22/2008 2:29:32 PM

PS:

Quote :

"boot dnl, he is an idiot"

2/22/2008 2:33:26 PM

The house that they were in has been for sale since January 25, 2008.

http://tinyurl.com/2deceg

WTF???

Did the realtor not look at the house/show from Feb. 4-12? I wonder if these people were just squatting in an abandoned house. If it was foreclosed or they were evicted, wouldn't the sheriff or an agent stop by?

2/22/2008 2:37:46 PM

I present this case to anyone who disagrees with the death penalty. Both of these people should be summarily tied to a seat and left in a cage in a room of 80 degrees with a snow suit on... and food inches away from their grasp...

They should be killed in the most gruesome way one can imagine.

2/22/2008 2:48:47 PM

it is because of this sort of a case that we have to be that much stronger about not rushing into torture in a reactionary way. what will torture do for anyone besides i guess fulfilling some bloodlust for a sad few?

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 2:51 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2008 2:51:08 PM

^^ i disagree with the death penalty because it doesn't deter, its expensive, like a million other reasons.

but yes, i agree, if you want to tie these people up in a car seat until they starve to death, fine. it would serve as more of a deterrent than executing them 20 or 30 years from now. (clearly this scenario would never happen).

^ i agree with that post as well.

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 2:52 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2008 2:51:32 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization

2/22/2008 2:52:00 PM

Quote :

"^^ i disagree with the death penalty because it doesn't deter, its expensive, like a million other reasons. but yes, i agree, if you want to tie these people up in a car seat until they starve to death, fine. it would serve as more of a deterrent than executing them 20 or 30 years from now. (clearly this scenario would never happen). ^ i agree with that post as well."

does. not. compute.

2/22/2008 2:52:47 PM

It's expensive only because of the endless appeals system.


If these people are found guilty by a court, found guilty during their appeal... then they shoudl be killed right then and there.

That leaves a sting on people witnessing. If you murder and rape someone and in the matter of 60 days are killed yourself, it sends a message to society.

If it's done 30 years later, no one remembers or cares.

2/22/2008 2:53:13 PM

I don't understand how some people could defend these people and their right to live.


How can people possibly do that to a baby? And somehow, they deserve the life that they so callously denied a helpless person... Really really

2/22/2008 2:54:38 PM

and the government killing its own people has some positive effect i'm not aware of? especially the speedy killing of people? isn't there also a HUGE downside to this that you're not addressing?

2/22/2008 2:55:39 PM

I think the government has the responsibility to remove a vile threat from society vis a vis the death penalty.

Yes, I'm well aware of innocent people being killed for crimes they did not commit.

If we had a mandate that a either a confession or irrefutable DNA evidence, I have no problem with the government killing monstrous scourges such as these people.

2/22/2008 2:57:05 PM

^ are you christian?

Quote :

"Yes, I'm well aware of innocent people being killed for crimes they did not commit. "

obviously thats just a tiny speed bump on your path towards feel-good revenge

i doubt you would be so indifferent about that tiny speed bump if you were the innocent guy getting executed

2/22/2008 2:58:40 PM

Quote :

"It's expensive only because of the endless appeals system. "

obviously. but that is our justice system---the idea that we'd rather let 10 guilty people go free than incarcerate one innocent person. i'm not defending their rights to live at all. i'm just defending the premises our justice system is founded on. and until a better system is developed, we can't just haphazardly apply its principles. we can't pick and choose who is afforded their rights of due process and who isn't. thats just the shitty way that it is.

and ^6 up thurr somewhere. it only computes because i said that that scenario will never happe--because of what someone else posted up there (civilization). sure in some ancient society if someone stole from us we'd take them right then and there in front of the community and chop off their hand. deterrence. but clearly that doesn't work in our society today.

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 2:59 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2008 2:59:12 PM

yes.

2/22/2008 2:59:22 PM

2/22/2008 3:00:20 PM

Quote :

"The house that they were in has been for sale since January 25, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/2deceg WTF??? Did the realtor not look at the house/show from Feb. 4-12? I wonder if these people were just squatting in an abandoned house. If it was foreclosed or they were evicted, wouldn't the sheriff or an agent stop by?"

Can someone please answer this before the thread turns to Hitler and is moved to the Soap Box?

[Edited on February 22, 2008 at 3:02 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2008 3:01:39 PM

Quote :

"If we had a mandate that a either a confession or irrefutable DNA evidence, I have no problem with the government killing monstrous scourges such as these people. "

The problem with that is that it creates "levels" of guilt which also doesn't work in our justice system. If someone doesn't confess or have DNA evidence, are they less guilty than someone else?

2/22/2008 3:02:28 PM

no, they're not... but I have no problem killing someone based on irrefutable DNA evidence. If we didn't have that, then we probably shouldn't off them. I have no problem with that.


But in the clear cut cases, confessions and/or HARD FORENSIC EVIDENCE, there's no reason to keep them on this earth.

2/22/2008 3:05:11 PM