Bennett's Uncle May Face Death Penalty

(AP)  Prosecutors say the Vermont man charged with kidnapping his 12-year-old niece - who was found dead near his home - could face the death penalty.

State and federal prosecutors spoke in Burlington Thursday as 42-year-old Michael Jacques was formally charged with kidnapping Brooke Bennett. Bennett was missing for a week before her body was found Wednesday in Randolph.

Authorities cannot even say yet how the girl died. But the federal charges against Jacques provide for the death penalty in kidnappings resulting in a child's death.

In court papers, authorities accused Jacques of carefully orchestrating events and e-mails to make it look like Bennett had gone to see someone she had met online.

Instead of gathering at a vigil to offer prayers for the safe return of Bennett, residents found themselves mourning the news that her body had been found.

Police unearthed her body Wednesday from a makeshift grave about a mile from her uncle's house, ending a weeklong search for the subject of Vermont's first Amber Alert.

"Brooke Marie, I love you so much," her mother, Cassandra Gagnon, said at the gathering later in the picturesque town of a little more than 5,000. "I just ask that justice be done for the person who took my baby away," she said, sobbing.

The girl's father, James Bennett, added, "I know Brooke knows that we love her and will always love her."

As state police announced the grim news Wednesday evening, they said Michael Jacques, the girl's 42-year-old uncle and a convicted sex offender, will face federal kidnapping charges.

Bennett, who had just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, disappeared on June 25 after being seen at a convenience store with Jacques.

Jacques has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault against a different underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty. Jacques, who is married to the sister of Brooke's mother, has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.

After searching in and around his home across town for days, police said they found Brooke's body in a spot where the earth had been disturbed.

"The painful discovery of Brooke's body today is tragic and heartbreaking," State Police Director Col. James Baker said. He called the death "clearly suspicious" but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning.

In an affidavit unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, the FBI said an unidentified 14-year-old girl told investigators she was present on June 25 when Jacques tricked Bennett into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his Randolph home to be initiated into a sex ring.

The teenager said she was led to believe Bennett "would have sex with adult males" during the initiation. The 14-year-old said she herself had been having sex with Jacques since she was 9, as part of the sex ring.

The teen, who is related to Jacques, said she and Bennett watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took his niece upstairs. The witness said she left the house with her boyfriend and didn't see Bennett again.

In another blow to the family, Bennett's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, was formally charged Wednesday with obstructing justice in the case.

He entered no plea at the federal hearing and was denied bail pending another hearing on Monday. The 40-year-old Gagnon, who lives in Texas, was on a regular visit to Vermont when he was arrested.

According to the affidavit, Gagnon told police he accessed his former stepdaughter's MySpace page from a computer at his San Antonio home after getting login information from Jacques.

Police said they have evidence that postings to the account were altered to make it appear that the 12-year-old had discussed a secret rendezvous shortly before she disappeared.

On that day, Jacques dropped Bennett off at a convenience store, and surveillance video shows they left in separate directions. She had told family members she was going to meet a friend and visit a hospitalized relative of the friend.

At the vigil for Bennett in Randolph - a site that still featured big banners reading "Come Home, Brooke, We Love You!!" - Gary Finch, Bennett's homeroom and math teacher last year, said she was an energetic and enthusiastic learner whom he loved having in class.

"She was always volunteering, always with a smile on her face. Smart, creative. It's a tragedy. It's unbelievable. It's hard to comprehend. I didn't think anything like this would happen to such a great kid," said Finch, one of about 300 people who attended.

Finch said that when school started last fall, Bennett was nervous about transferring from her small elementary school to the high school.

"She conquered that," he said. "She didn't conquer this."

[tae9800]

There should be due process, but trust me it will be a long and drawn out process. This Michael Jacques will be treated much more fairly than he ever treated his victims and any little thing that is not labeled right or tagged properly will free this man. That is how this system works. The now fourteen year old that came forward will be grilled like she is the scum of the earth and Brooke Bennett will be trashed by his defense. It''s called the "JUSTICE SYSTEM" - Go figure.

[swwils]

Might face the death penalty,the Media should not print that only when they say "Uncle was executed at 12:01" that is news I want to read!

[hamiltongrad]

This MAN should be hung, forthwith.

[whiskyrocker]

Is he still alive? He should have been skinned alive and had gasoline poured on him and set a fire by now.

[mercyme884]

You know the saddest part of this crime is that the children must have assumed that it was alright to have *** with these older men or they wouldn''t have been where they were in the first place. Yes I know that the U.S. turns on the axis of *** it is everywhere you look
and yet here are all of you wondering why this happened Look around people you live in a country that accepts *** as a way of life and its all right for children to have *** as long as they are paid enough money.

[bdrlnt4rl]

hang em by the balls until death

[kattyclayz]

It would be great if everyone obeyed the law and we didn''t need the death penalty, but that''s just not realistic. It''s a primal instinct the be violent, and it isn''t going to be bred out any time soon. So until then, I say, If they did it and a court finds them guilty, give them an express trip to the chair. Molesters should have their appendages cut off or sewed shut, depending on the *** of the offender and then after about 90 days of feeling the pain from that, then they go for death. I never understood why we treat killers so carefully and do our best to make sure that they feel no pain when they sure didn''t give their victims that same thought. Why not just enact that the killers die the same way that their victims did, that should cut down on costs.

[whiskyrocker]

flreason:

In a perfect world. Wake up this is not a perfect world. Respect for the law. Riigghht!

[berniepeders]

Americans don''t need to commit murder to have effective law enforcement. What we need is more respect for the laws by all members of the society--individuals, businesses, and government/politicians alike.

Posted by flreason

It is only YOUR OPINION that carrying out a court-ordered, jury-decided execution of a convicted felon is murder. But, you''re right, let''s all sit around a campfire and hold hands and sing Cumbayah, then everyone will obey the laws and no one will ever be bad again. You talk like a man with a paper a$$.

[dragonfli198]

Right is Right wrong is wrong and the nicest thing I can come up with for this future jail *** is take 1 inch PVC pipe 2 feet barb wire put it where it needs to go and pull the PVC pipe out and then he can try the barb wire NOW THATS TORTURE he deserves to get it done a few times.