James Sargent and Tracey Hermann
This is Benjamin Sargent, the result of a joyful union between 23-year-old James Sargent and 21-year-old Tracey Hermann.
People You’ll See In Hell has a simple question for you, a question that James Sargent and Tracey Hermann answered for the world during the month of February, 2008.
How long can you ignore a screaming baby?
Some people have the ability to deal with the noise that a screaming baby calls forth from the pits of Hell for a longer period of time than others can.
Some people, those who are actually partially human, will actually get up and look at the baby to see what’s going on.
Those people typically want to find out why the baby is crying, so they can stop it.
They go through the usual checklist:
- Is the baby hungry?
- Is it thirsty?
- Is it wet?
- Is something eating the baby?
We here at People You’ll See In Hell know from experience that we can handle a crying baby for 42 minutes – precisely the amount of time it takes to drive from Omaha, Nebraska to Lincoln, Nebraska – pressing down on the gas pedal more and more as the crying continues.
After 42 minutes with a fed, dry, clean but cranky baby, we were ready to push our faces through a screen door. The more motherly of the van’s occupants attempted every ruse they knew to distract the baby, while the helpless males in the vehicle grit their teeth and thought happy thoughts.
Eight hours with a crying baby? Unthinkable.
Well, how about eight days?
On the 4th of February, 2008, at 9:30 at night, Rose Sargent dropped off her 5-month-old grandson, Benjamin Sargent, with his father, James Sargent.
According to Rose Sargent:
I left at 9:30 p.m. that night. I got him ready for bed, changed his diaper, put some ointment on his bottom and gave him a bottle. He wanted to be rocked so I rocked him, gave him some more bottle and then his dad put him into the crib without the car seat, and covered him up with a blanket. Then I left because I had to go home and get to sleep because I work third shift.
Rose Sargent might have some problems recognizing reality. She remembers Benjamin Sargent being a happy, laughing baby that would frequently reach out for her.
We would guess that, because Benjamin Sargent weighed just 10 pounds at the age of 5 months, he was laughing as he reached for her because he thought she might actually give him something to eat.
Yes, that’s right. A 5-month-old baby weighed all of 10 pounds and nobody really thought anything of it.
Benjamin Sargent’s mother, Tracey Hermann, wasn’t around when the baby was dropped off, and from statements she’s made to the police, even if she was there, she might not have noticed that the baby was back.
According to authorities, Tracey Hermann didn’t want Benjamin. Tracey Hermann wanted to give Benjamin up for adoption, and refused to do anything that mothers typically do with their children – taking no part in the feeding, bathing, or changing of Benjamin Sargent.
She didn’t play with him.
She didn’t talk with him.
She didn’t hold him.
That could be part of the reason why Benjamin Sargent gained only 2 pounds since birth.
Anyways, so there we have a painfully thin baby, strapped into a car seat that’s been placed on the floor in the living room. He was wearing a blue snow suit that his grandmother had bought him. He was probably hungry and tired. He probably cried, because that’s what babies do when they’re upset.
But nobody came to take care of Benjamin.
Oh, there was a person living in the garage that came into the house at one point and – thinking that it was weird that the baby was still sitting in the car seat in the middle of the living room floor – moved the baby (who was still in the car seat) into a back room, but that’s really the last time anyone did anything for the baby.
So Benjamin Sargent sat.
And sat.
And sat.
For eight days.
Eight days without food. Eight days without water. Eight days without being changed, or being held, or being talked to.
At five months, most babies can’t do anything other than cry. You have to wonder how long Benjamin Sargent cried. Was it a few hours before he gave up? He couldn’t have been very strong, after all, and crying is exhausting. Or did Benjamin Sargent cry for longer than that, off and on, hoping beyond hope that someone would come and take care of him, help him…save him?
James Sargent and Tracey Hermann were both at home. They played some video games. They watched some television. They ate, showered and slept. They probably changed their clothes a few times.
They went about their lives while their son, their helpless son, went about the long process of dying in the next room.
When police finally arrived, they found Benjamin strapped into his car seat, which had been placed into a crib. His little eyes were open. His little fists were clenched. The temperature of the room Benjamin was in was 80 degrees and he was still wearing the snow suit. It was obvious that he hadn’t been changed, as he was sitting in his own bodily wastes – and had been for some time.
There are times when we are very, very happy that we are not police officers.
James Sargent and Tracey Hermann were arrested.
Police interviewed James Sargent. James initially told the authorities that he had moved Benjamin a few times, but later admitted that maybe he hadn’t moved his son at all.
According to the interview with Tracey Hermann, she came into the baby’s room on the seventh night, the night before police were called. She told authorities that she looked at the baby, thought he was sleeping and left a bottle resting between the baby and the side of the car seat. Tracey Hermann said that she figured when Benjamin woke up, he could just grab the bottle and feed himself. She didn’t really much care, because she was heading out to Iowa that night to meet up with a guy she had met on the Internet. According to Tracey Hermann, Benjamin was not her problem, and that James Sargent should have taken care of the baby.
James Sargent and Tracey Hermann have been charged with first-degree murder. They could potentially be hit with prison terms of up to 100 years if they’re found guilty. The possibility of the death penalty is still on the table.
Both James Sargent and Tracey Hermann have pled not guilty.
During her court appearance, it was noted that Tracey Hermann seemed annoyed that she had to deal with this whole murder charge thing, which was the same attitude she displayed when police interviewed her.
Update:
While James Sargent and Tracey Hermann are eligible for the death penalty in Illinois, they will not receive it. State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons has announced that he will not seek a capital case against the pair. According to Kevin Lyons, he wants Hermann and Sargent to live out their lives in state prison for their crime.
Their trial date is scheduled for the 4th of August, 2008.
Update:
James Sargent and Tracey Hermann are now scheduled for a jury trial on the 17th of November, 2008.
Do James Sargent and Tracey Hermann deserve Hell?
- Yes - they both do (96%, 1,660 Votes)
- Add that dumbass ben to my answer (the guy who commented on 02/17/09) (8%, 143 Votes)
- Yes - but only Tracey Hermann (0%, 8 Votes)
- No - neither do (0%, 8 Votes)
- Yes - but only James Sargent (0%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,737
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145 Comments »
If ANYBODY votes no on this, I will track them down and hurt them.
I believe that if u need a license for something as simple as driving people should be forced to take some sort of mental capacity test before being allowed to have children. I am the proud mother of 2 kids my self and I couldnt picture EVER doinf anything to harm them in any way. Some people just deserve to rot in jail… & i hope that jail treats them as they treated that beautiful lil boy! I swear…. I hope the inmates have seen atlease the news and recognize their face as soon as they walk in there I dont believe that anyone should ever get off as easy as getting a death penalty. 30 seconds of pain dont seem fair for the life time they cause others, or in this case, 8 painful days of starvation. But there day will come… There is a hell and they will regret being such poor excuse for a human being… takin up perfectly good air space… I wish they would have died and left the child alone. And still “Mom” goes to court wondering WHY she has to deal w the mess or her childs death? How stupid do they get?! I am so angry!
totally agree with you on the mental ability test mrs D… what i really dont get is if tracey herman didnt want the child then WHY WAS HE NOT PUT UP FOR ADOPTION??? at risk of incurring the wrath of pysih regulars i will admit to not being very maternal myself, i have never wanted babies or felt the need to procreate… so i dont have any babies! it is purely a personal choice, (but believe it or not i have on several occasions been accused of being selfish) anyhow my point really is this, nobody HAS to have children in this day and age, there are lots of ways to ensure it does not happen and thats what i have done, but to bring a child into the world just to neglect him to death really beggars belief! this has to be one of the worst abuse cases ive read in a long long time.
This really struck me when I read it in the newspaper. I went to middle school with james, and Lived little more than a block from him. Let me just describe to you about him. when My older brother started middle school (6th greade) james was in 7th). My brother is 2 years older than me. When I was leaving middle school (8th grade) james was still in 7th. This kid is beyond dumb, and I stay that as I knew him in the past. Everyday he would dress up like elvis because he seriously thought he was elvis. This kid is beyond stupid and always smelled. Im not trying to be harsh or rude its only the truth. I still remember the house he grew up in, a dump. I remember the exact place and spot. I hope he gets what he deserves.
He was in 7th grade for 5 years? (Your brother in 6th, 7th – then you in 6th, 7th and 8th).
Something doesn’t sound right. If he was so stupid/retarded that he could not pass 7th grade after the first couple of attempts, wouldn’t they have put him onto the short bus?
Im seriously telling the truth, he walked home most of the time, used to ride the bus but was kicked off, dont ask me what for, I cant remember. But its not like he was actually retarded, he was just one of those ignorant, stupid people with no common sense or intelligence.
if he gets put in a mental hospital and not prison then i am going to go get a fucking job there and torture his ass i knew the kid i went to school with him. he tried to stab his mom with a pencil cuz he found out she was pregnant and he didnt want a sibling. he walked around acting like elvis in the special ed classes and he is a fucking moron he is beyond retarded it was bullshit and still is they should be put to death shit i remember when i didnt want kids but the day i had them they get fed bathed changed dressed played with taken care of and i have 2 little girls 2 and 3 and guess what i didnt ask for it but i love them with my life. and i will never let that happen to them. cuz it is just sick and wrong.
Holy crap i remember the pencil thing, yep pretty much everyday he was acting like elvis, or that stupid dragon ball z character…..whats his name, Trunks. lol wow
Too bad we cant go eye for eye on this one. Strap them in a chair for 8 days with nothing! What loosers. I bet that grandmother wishes now that she’d have gone a little further in making sure that baby was protected! She had to have known something was up! I hope these two live in agony and pain for years to come!
Yes, I agree. 15-20 seconds of the electric chair does not equal the 8 days of suffering this baby had to endure.
I’ve always been of the opinion that whenever people get tossed into prison, some guy should announce on the loudspeaker exactly what they did, going into all the gruesome details. Then, let the inmates have their way with them.
I totally agree with you on these 2!
OMG, this has got to be one of the saddest things I’ve heard. That poor baby. Death would be an easy way out for the two of them. I hope they both live the rest of their miserable lives in prison. I hope that they are both tortured by other inmates. And I wish they would be tortured with the memory of what they had done, but apparently that’s not gonna be the case. You can’t feel any regret without a conscience. The mom said that she wanted to put the baby up for adoption, why didnt that happen? Why didnt the other family members sense something was wrong when the baby only weighed 10 pounds. It just breaks my heart to know that he had no chance at life and no chance to be loved. I wish I could be locked in a room with Tracey for 8 days. I know a lot of guys that I’m sure would like to be locked in a room with James, too. Damn baby killers. Hell is too good for them.
I actually heard about this last week sometime and wondered if it would be posted on PYSIH. It’s one of the most horrifying cases of child neglect I’d read about in awhile. That looks like such a beautiful baby and I’m sure there are people who would have wanted him. I’d love to tie up mom and dad leave them in a garage for eight days without food or water or a toilet and see how THEY like it.
Just when it seems people can’t be any more vile, along come two that set the standard for human garbage. I hope that there is no rest for them in prison.
My stomach is in knots just reading the story.
My first question is how could 2 such ugly people have such a cute baby?
But back to the crime, PlaySyation, Nintendo, WII, GameCube are really to blame. I am sure that these people would be ideal parents if they did not have other such responsibilities! OK enough of that BULLSHIT!
I did NOT hear that either of these parents mistake was due to something called work! Hmm sounds like Granny was the only one that amounted to anything and I question her as well – 5 month old baby at 10 lbs….. My family 10 lbs at 5 days is cause for concern, 10lbs at 5 weeks and the child would be in he hospital – and I am sure that these POS would not have to worry about costs (and even if there was any cost, I am sure that they would not be concerned)
I would happily hosts these POS in the sub basement of my garage where no one would really miss them for quite sometime. Maybe the river rats would enjoy them for lunch – litterally!
I am a “non-custodial” parent – basicaly my daughter’s mother’s ATM. While I do love my daughter, even if I did not, I still would want to be sure that my daughter was OK, if for any reason, to be sure that the child support check was not tottally paying for the next BMW.
These POS are dangerious beyond belief – they feel nothing for anything beyond their gonads. Chop his off and let him bleed to death, cement hers and let her die of a burst bladder – preferably in an abandoned building somewhere so they can begin to understand their baby’s pain with the only difference being that their baby is now safe from harm while this will be the first step towards an eternaty of hurt for them!
Sickened. You know, men should love their kids and all, but in my heart, as a mother, I believe that when you allow yourself to get pregnant, the responsability is primarily the woman’s. Dad’s come and go all the time in kid’s lives, but we mother’s are the one thing that is supposed to be a gauranteed constant. Believe me, he’s obviously a total douchebag, but mother to mother, she should suffer immensely, I hope she wakes up one day with the knowledge of what’s she’s done, and it eats at her soul.
Nope. I think men are just as attached.
I believe you actually have to care about another human being besides yourself before you can actually experience psychological pain over the suffering you cause others.
The b#%&h seens incapable of such. I’ve seen toddlers with better moral development.
I have never had a news story haunt me like this one has. I think about how many people would have loved to had this adorable little boy as part of their family. And then I think about what happened to him and I get physically nauseous. I can’t believe they’ve entered a plea of “not guilty”. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I think not only did the parents and relatives fail this child but so did society. Do you really think no one else saw this child? Where were the social service agencies? How about a doctor? When I think of how many times in baby Ben’s life he could have been rescued by someone who cared enough to do something I get sick. I know I’m not going to be one of those complacent by standers anymore! From this day forward I pledge to intervene in situations where a child may be at risk. If anything good can come out of this situation it would be that this never happens again.
If his mom wasn’t feeding him, do you really think she was taking him for his well baby checkups either?
Does anyone know whether Benjamin was ever in contact with any social services agencies at all? The system can’t be faulted if the kid was never in the system to begin with.
At least with poor baby Crown Sanders, they could claim ignorance on their vegan lifestyle. This couple come to the table with: We just sat there and did nothing until the child died.
At least once they’re in prison, their genetics die with them.
Ah yes. Thank you Jason for pointing out the positive here! Their defective DNA *will* die with them.
If ever there was a couple of poster people for bleach in the gene pool……
OK, I find it very ironic that every time I hear about a woman starving her children she is always a fat slob!! Talk about greedy!! I hope they both receive a death sentence because I refuse (can’t really tho because unfortunately it is not my choice) to have money taken out of my hard earned pay checks to feed these two piece’s of shit who couldn’t feed their own damn baby!! Oh and btw, isn’t forced sterilization for these types looking better and better? May God Bless that poor innocent baby and hopefully these two will rot (literally)
p.s. Dr. Extreme, I totally agree but in most jails the C.O’s let inmated know anyway, esp. for crimes against children like this….
Ah, good to know.
I hear women’s prison can be ESPECIALLY vicious.
meaghan~ “The Prosecutors from Lyons’ juvenile division have already begun proceedings to permanently remove Hermann’s 3-year-old daughter from the home.” The ‘system’ WAS involved. They knew that she neglected her daughter, why didn’t they check on the son? I’m sick to my stomach right now!
Okay. I didn’t know about that. In which case blaming the “system” does make sense.
I just occasionally see cases where a kid dies and everyone says it’s the system’s fault, when it turns out CPS had never been involved with the family because no one had reported any abuse before.
There was more than one child? The parents are to blame firt and foremost, but next is anyone who came in contact with this child and sent him back to that home. I would gladly take kidnapping charges before I sent a child back to a home where I knew(and you all know that the grandmother had to know something) he or she wasnt being given the basic neccessities of life. Now days people care way to much about their own lives and scheadules, to maybe stop by that house once a day and check on their grandchild. It absolutly was not the grandmothers responsibility, but when a baby is that small, you have got to assume something is wrong, and do something. I say hell goes to anyone involved that didnt help this child! Those parents werent hanging out all day by themselves, they probably had friends over that knew of the situation.
Agreed.
I don’t get why adoption is so hard for many childless couples in the U.S. Dirthbags like these can keep their kids but couples who can’t concieve can’t. I hope they both get prison justice.
I think anyone involved in keeping this woman from giving up the baby for adoption should be smacked upside the head for starters. What idiots. I also don’t understand why she didn’t get herself fixed since she was so against having kids.
How anyone could ignore a helpless infant and still call themselves human is way beyond my comprehension.
My son’s name is Benjamin.
I can’t stop crying.
death by starvation, that doesn’t sound too great for me, so i can’t even imagine how bad that is for a baby. It doesn’t even understand what’s happening. this is not just murder, this is torture. i agree with the “eye for an eye” comment, these people should be tortured for the rest of their pathetic lives.
Death by starvation is not even a good portion of the torture.
1. The baby sat in a dirty diaper until it died. Basically the baby’s excriment ate away at the baby’s ass and penis.
2. the baby was in a snow suit in an 80 degree room – that accelerates rot – why do we put food in a refrigerator???
3. The baby was strapped in a car seat. So even if the baby wanted to move to alleviate some of the pain for a moment, odds are the baby could not move very much.
So put them in a straight jacket in the sun and tie them to a pole. I would almost dare to say that the baby was probably quite dead on night 7 when “mommy” gave the child a bottle. I can not even begin to imagine the stench, but then again these POS – what did the rest of the house/apartment look like? Someone was living in the garage – I almost wonder why….
Lastly who was footing the bill for this paradise? I’d love to have some time off and play video games…..
Every time I read one of these, I re-resolve to make sure my little boy always knows how much he is loved, valued, and needed. Sometimes, though, there is a little voice inside that asks, “Is it really fair to bring children into this fetid, rotting world in which atrocities like this occur?” I don’t know. I don’t know how I will ever be able to explain to my son, when someday he asks, “Why did this happen, Mommy?” Really… I cannot fathom the reasons myself, how will I answer this question for my boy?
lazy and selfish are the only answers for this problem. It is a growing problem. Just think of how many children are neglected because of pure lazyness or selfishness! The parents of these lowlifes should have taught their children some work ethic, maybe had them do chores, or work toward goals. Todays youth lacks these simple qualities. Maybe their parents tried to teach them responsibility, and they are just monsters.
You know we can sit here at our computers and rant about how this was a horrible and unjust thing to happen (which it was) but unless we inact change in our society this sort of thing will continue. I’ve read your comments and I agree with them all but we have to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Women need to know that they are not alone in raising a child. Many doctors will not sterilize a woman of Tracey’s age (19) because they think it is too permanent and don’t want to be sued later on when she DOES want to have kids. We need to take a look at the stigma attached to adoption and how to make it less bureaucratic (more user friendly) so that children have a chance to grow up in a family that really loves and wants them. I would like an Illinois state representative to put forth “Benjamin’s Law” that allows for a smoother adoption process and allocates money for education about adoption and social service agencies which are designed to help prevent situations like this.
Adoption is a big problem. I’m interested in it and have read about it and it’s a big problem for the birth mothers. A lot of times, after the adoption takes place, people tell them horrible insensitive things like “how can you give your baby away like that.” And in a case where the birth mother is a decent person who just can’t raise a child or is unwilling to, that’s just making them feel worse about it all, and would discourage other people from adopting out their babies.
The way we treat adoption in this country is sad. I have a friend that got pregnant when she was single and already supporting 2 kids. She decided to give the baby up for adoption and found a nice couple. After the baby was born, however, CPS (Child Protective Services) started investigating her (read harassing her) because they had decided that if she had given the baby up for adoption, then she must then be unable to care for the 2 she already had. It was ridiculous.
I’m glad to see people took my warning seriously. There is no excuse at all for this kind of behavior, and I hope no lawyer voluntarily tarnishes his reputation with this.
I wish nothing but vile horrible things for both of these parents. Things I can only conjure up from the deepest darkest parts of my soul. On the other hand, solitary for life with only enough human contact to keep them semi-sane might be a much longer and fitting punishment.
yeah see….i don’t know where to go on this one. it’s sad. nothing else can explain it.
This is so very, very sad. I am sitting here at work in my office crying for this poor, helpless baby. My heart is aching just thinking about him sitting there wondering where his mommy is with his bottle or a fresh diaper or a hug. I want to kill these people with my bare hands. Bastards. Rot in hell!!!
Wow, this is better than Joshua Mauldin putting the baby in the microwave.
Let the baby simmer and stew in it’s own juices for 8 days.
These two need to invest in a crock-pot.
‘Course, you’d probably need a roaster for a baby over 10 pounds.
At least the other baby lived. This poor child didn’t have a chance. Sad shit going on in the word eh? I read the other day that Josh Mauldin and that ugly ho of his had sex in the interrogation room while they were waiting for the officers to come back. what a bunch of sick bastards.
Sometimes I wonder if it is a blessing when the babies live. What kind of lives can they lead?
I have a niece that was horribly abused when she was a little kid – 3rd degree burns on her hands and feet. She had skin grafts taken out of her thighs. So now her hands and feet are so disfigured she needs special shoes and her fingers are bent little stubs. She’s also deaf and virtually unable to communicate because she has to sign. Nobody can understand her. So she gets frustrated and lashes out.
She’s afraid of faucets and water, she’s afraid of men. People make fun of her inflicted disabilities. The mental and physical scars will not go away and are destroying her life.
I can’t begin to describe the hate and anger I have for abusers of any type. I’ve seen the damage. Yet these people continue to have babies and walk free. At least a dead baby won’t go through the anquish my niece goes through daily and their abusers go to jail (hopefully). My niece’s abuser didn’t even see the inside of a jail – he got probation and continued to make babies.
Don’t misunderstand – I love my niece, I’m glad she’s alive – but, y’know, sometimes I just can’t help but wonder –
The actual abuse may have stopped but the effects of the abuse will never go away.
midwist- Your niece will live on to be an important part of this wold, we may not realize it now, but she lived for a reason. Her role in your life and others is very important, which I am sure your aware. She will be a living angel that will change many lives!
man i have a baby daughter and when she cries I cant stand it. They cannot do anything for themselves and they are soo beautiful. Hoe the heck can you do that?
Even injured animals will get attention from someone. That lady looks like she could give a damn in her booking photo. I m sure she will act the victim at trial.
How sick, sad and demented these people are. I also agree that it’s a shame we can’t go eye for an eye on this one. Although it would probably take a lot longer than 8 days for an adult to die. When i first heard this story i cried, I’m sure I’m not the only one. I would never nor could I ever imagine doing this any human being. They deserve far more worse than what they get. I don’t understand how nobody noticed anything. This baby boy only weighed 2 more pounds at 5 months then when he was born. That’s definitely something that is noticeable and how nobody did anything about it is beyond me. GOD took the little angel to be with him so he would no longer suffer and he can live happy. You’re in my heart Benjamin.
All I know is that my oldest boy had colic for 4 straight months. He cried CONSTANTLY. I ran my ass off trying/buying anything/everything that would stop him from crying. The difference is that I didn’t do it to relieve MY irritation, I did it to relieve HIS pain. There’s a difference in focus there.
The sound of him screaming is one I have not forgotten, even after 9 years. But he wasn’t stuck in a carseat, wasn’t wearing a snowsuit, wasn’t neglected/starved for a week while his shit ate away at his body. How ANY parent could tolerate the noise a baby treated like that would make, I cannot fathom.
Convicted of child abuse? Mandatory sterilization. It’s the only right thing to do.
c
Glory – I feel your pain. My child too had colic, and it hurt to see her clinch her little fist in pain. Nothing but me or my husband carrying her around upright helped. These two parents and anyone aware of this situation deserve punishment. This was probably a good indication of how this babys short life was like. This time it killed him though.
4 people so far out of 297 voted no. That’s about the only 4 people who read this site that believe no one in this world deserves Hell. Well damn…I wiped my eyes before typing because the thought of it…I feel so incredibly bad for the police that arrived first. That grandmother should have taken that baby. She didn’t think to check up after a couple days? My mom was calling my brother almost daily to see how her grandson was…my God…if there is a Hell, these 2 will be there. They are inhuman.
When did babies start sleeping with their eyes open, anyone?
The past tense of “plead” is not “pled”, it is “pleaded”.
admin – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pled
http://www.answers.com/topic/plead
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Are there any updates on these to assholes. I was hoping by now that someone would get rid of these two by now. I stll think of poor baby Benjamin. Please report abuse and neglect, when you see it. Even if you dont go to the police, tell someone. There were a group of people living in the garage of this home, one of them is the one thast actually placed the baby in the crib. However, no one spoke for baby benjamin, he was left to suffer and die. What could your defense possibly be? Did they really prefer murder charges over giving him up for adoption?
so i knew the mother yes while alot of folks have been quick to judge them on what the press has shown so far no one has asked what drives a person to such a thing james his bipolor so the prick can hardly look after himself let alone a child and as for tracey i reallyt hink she was suffering from PPD it screams that and being that american health care system is only about making fucking money rather that treating the person they just do not give a fuck or do follow up’s to see how the perant is copeing with the changes to there life
Don’t put this off on some failure of a system. Crazy is as crazy does and both of these fuck ups starved a 5 month old to death out of pure petulance. I’d skin both of these fucks alive an inch at a time if I were offered the opportunity to do so. They deserve that at a minimum.
Slightly off topic here but did you notice that your friend looks like the bastard child of Rush Limbaugh and Skeletor? You’d have to be a lunatic to stick your dick in that and from the looks of James here, he was. People like this shouldn’t be walking free, baby death incident or not.
I’m left to question your choice in associates as both of these people look like backwash filth.
Excuse me “Think of the children won’t someon think of the children”
Regardless of how the press is “spinning” the story, the fact of the matter remains that two human beings allowed their own flesh and blood to sit unattended and suffering for the course of 8 days, and let themselves ignore it, knowing that a helpless baby will (not can, but will) perish when strapped and ignored.
This isn’t anything that can be made into a sad story for the “parents”, but this is cruelty. Plain and simple, cruelty.
Let them go to prison, and let the prisoners find out what they did so that they can endure a lifetime of pain and suffering far greater than that baby ever could understand. They deserve that, on top of an eternity in hell (if you believe in that sort of thing).
This is just ridiculous…
OMG this is horrible. How could anyone do that to a child. I hope they both get the death penalty. Hell I’d like to be the one to pull the switch on them. There are way too many sick people in this world. I swear there should be some sort of psychological test givin before giving birth if you fail it you should have to give your child up for adoption.
I’m sitting here crying and cannot stop, imagining the anguish that little one suffered before he died. I have only been reading the postings on this site for a couple of hours, getting really upset at all of the innocent kids that are suffering. But this one has broken me down completely. The only thing that can I can do is pray that he is safe and loved in God’s arms.
By the way, what happened to the person who moved the baby to the back room? If he has been left in the living room, maybe, by some miracle, his parents would have gotten tired of his crying and tended to him? They are to blame also in my book!
Sharon, I expect that nothing happened to him, in conjunction with this case. I read somewhere that there were several people living in the shed – all either mentally challenged or drug users.. something like that. I would expect that since he didn’t actually cause the harm himself, the cops would have a hard time charging him with anything. (In legal terms, it means that he did not have a “special relationship” with the child, which means that he had no “duty” to protect him). Stupidity is not a chargable offense on it’s own.
Who called the cops? And why did they wait sooo long to do anything?
According to something else I read, it sounds like James Sargent called 911 when he noticed the baby wasn’t breathing. (More likely, when he noticed the baby wasn’t crying anymore).
Oh, btw – I didn’t see this posted anywhere else, but the whore mama had a three year old daughter too. She had apparently “given” the daughter away to a relative. The child is now in foster care.
One more fucked-up life.
And one more thing – they apparently had a pitbull. The pitbull was well-fed when they found the baby. That may be why the garage-squatter put the baby in the crib – so the dog wouldn’t eat him. But it sounds like he was too small for the dog to even be interested in.
Didn’t Gramma say she changed him and diapered him and rocked and fed him like a good, loving, sweet Gramma would do? So how did the baby get back into the snowsuit, in the car seat, in the middle of the living room floor?
It sounds like the “bad parent apple” didn’t fall far from the tree – something is WRONG with Gramma’s story. Something is probably wrong with Gramma, too.
And, I hate to comment on the way people look, but don’t these two just scream “inbreeding”? Him especially – he looks like he should be sittin’ on a porch strumming Dueling Banjos…
LMAO! Funny – I needed that laugh.
I must agree. Gramma’s story sounded like a lot more of CYA.
If she works third shift, and she dropped him off and did all the tasks she claimed she did how did she get time to “get some rest.” Assume she lives 10 – 15 minutes drive from the baby, 10 – 15 minutes drive from work, and needs at least 15 minutes to get ready for work. That gives her less than an hour to “rest.”
whats the update on this case?
Here’s a link to the Peoria County (Illinois) State’s Attorney web site, with the most up to date info on these two scumbags’ cases.
http://www.peoriacountystatesattorney.org/practice%20develop.sargent-hermann.htm
This has to be the sickest story I’ve ever read. As a mother, I just can’t belive it! I can’t leave my kids crying for 10 min.
My husband had came across an article on this back months ago. He had me read it, and I wish he hadn’t. When I seen those 2 pictures online, I have never seen Satin in someone eyes like I did theirs.
I hope the other prisoners are eating them alive.
I can’t understand why grandma didn’t do anything. She may not have known what all was going on, but come one, a 5 month old baby only gained 2lbs since birth!!! Hello! It even makes me sick…anyone who had been around that poor innocent baby should have know something was wrong!
When i hear complete strangers babies crying my first thought is, ” time for a feed.”
As a mum i cant fathom ignoring a screaming baby. Poor little thing.
This bitch gets get my vote for hell and so does her retard looking partner.
I totally agree Amy. Every once in a while I hear a baby who has the same pitch that my daughter did as an infant. And that sound drives a spike into my heart!
A babies cries are genetically programmed to be a painful sound to the parents. There have been tests done that prove that the sound of any baby crying raises stress levels, heart beats, etc. And the sound of your OWN baby intensifies the results dramatically.
So, there is no question. Whatever kicked these losers in the head – be it a mule, or meth – it broke something in their brain. That doesn’t excuse them, of course – they are still negligent, murdering. scumbags. They are just BROKEN negligent, murdering scumbags.
Jesus Christ…
Eight days.
EIGHT MOTHERFUCKING DAYS???
I wouldn’t be able to ignore a crying baby for eight minutes!
I’m *beyond* speechless.
Yup, i know. Being a parent makes me say, ” how do you ignore a screamimg child?”
But its not all down to just being a parent. Its called being a human. Apparently these two are not human.
Seeing’s how everyone here’s pretty riled up about this incredibly horrible crime perpetrated on this innocent baby, I thought people could use a little cheering up, so I’ve added this YouTube link; check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vfSk-6tIvo&feature=related
This is the most horrible dispicable thing I’ve heard in a long time. People like this shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce let alone live.
NO, NO, NO…tell me I read this wrong! 8days? 8 motherfucking days?! That poor baby sat in a carseat, in a snowsuit, STARVING FOR 8 DAYS?! O my god what is wrong with them? They should starve them both to death the same way he did! At least sterilize them..they have no right to have children!
Lena I’m crying because of this.
This kid could have been someone.
He could not talk and it hurts to know the fear in his little heart.
OMG! I have only voted about 3 times that people deserve hell ( I truly don’t wish that on anyone) but when it comes to these babies who are not even fucking able to fend for themselves and are treated like this I vote for hell and I hope to fuck they both hit hell wide open.
I also try to not hate but I hate you James and Tracey fucking Hermann and hope you both starve to death.
I feel bad when I let my daughter cry for 5 min! I only do it after she has been fed, changed, rocked, and sang to and still doesn’t want to sleep. My husband will tell me to just let her cry for a bit and see if that helps. I can not even make it the5 min he wants to try! How do you go 8 days without feeding your child!!?? or changing him! Or cuddling him!?? I dont know about you other parents, but when my kids were born I was immediately protective of them! It is human nature to take care of your child! That being said, these two must not have been human! That poor poor baby! Breaks my heart…
Yeah, with my firstborn, I remember realizing, with a kind of shock and awe, that I would absolutely give my life to protect him.
He was about 3 days old. I recall quite clearly looking at him and thinking, I would do anything, jump in front of a speeding locomotive, dangle from the highest suspension bridge, anything, to protect him from harm.
Absolutely. But where is the man’s protective instinct in this whole thing as well ?
My husband would do ANYTHING to protect his boys, and men are just as attached to their children as women….what the fuck was lacking with these two ?
I can’t type much more..this story kills me, and I’ll be pissey all day if I continue thinking about little Ben.
This whole story just breaks my heart. I cannot believe that there are so many things that require a degree or some sort of formal training yet any idiot can have a baby and neglect that child! How can you sit in the next room planning a video game while your child is screaming and crying for you, furthermore, as a mother who carried that baby for 9 months how can you not say that that baby is not your responsibility even if you put him in some elses care and they are not living up to your expectations…oh wait this idiot doesn’t have expectations as she already gave away one child. I also don’t understand this grandma who willingly handed over her 10 pound 5 month old grandchild to her son who she thought was taking care of him…REALLY?!!? I will also say that I am disappointed in Illinois for not seeking the death penalty because in my opinion why should our tax dollars pay for these maggot to have the luxuries that they couldn’t be bothered to afford their son!
I feel so bad for this poor child. He looked so sweet. I do agree that the parents should spend the rest of their lives crying just like little Benjamin. Rest in Peace little man.
this article is pretty biased and leaves out important elements of the truth How well would your mind be working if your fiance was actively cheating on you? This needs to have more facts and no opinions….
My mind, when my partner was actively cheating on me was surprisingly clear ben.
I had the good sense to cut the crouch out of all his boxers and the arse out of all his jeans. I cut the toes off of all his socks and threw his prized bike out on the sidewalk to be stolen and spat in his lunch everyday for a week before i kicked him out.
But somehow i manage to refrain from starving the children to death.
My guess is that your friend was an asshole regardless of what his fiancee was doing.
Now please fuck off and stop making such piss weak excuses. I think yours is one of the lamest i have read here on PYSIH..and believe me, i have read a lot of lame excuses here.
What? What The fuck did you say asshole? Did you say that because one of these losers was cheating on the other it excuses forgetting to feed and change your child for EIGHT FUCKING DAYS! Fuck you ben. For the first time since I started commenting on this blog, I honestly want to kick another commenter’s ass. Your ass ben, your ass.
That doesn’t matter what so ever. Whether she was cheating or not that is no excuse to leave an innocent child to die, if you truely feel “Ben” that this is an excuse then I beg you to talk to someone cause that makes you just as harmful to children !
I thought I was done with my reply but I still feel a lot of anger towards this comment, so “Ben” amuse me for a couple of moment and go along with what I write. I want you to imagine your a five month old baby and all you can do is really cry to express your hungry, tired, have soiled yourself, etc. Now I want you to imagine that your placed in a car seat and you want to eat so you start crying, your throat would probably hurt and then there is the pain of your hunger, now imagine no one coming to help you. You cant hep yourself cause your 5 months old, most babies can’t even sit on their own yet. Now imagine you soiled yourself, as a mom of three and a nurse I can tell you sitting in this will start to break down your fragile skin at any age, I also now that these wound can become as painful as they look, now imagine that pain on top of everything else, still no one comes ! Now if you can still stand by your comment I have something else to tell you, I read recently that James cannot claim insanity on top of this he has no ground to even try according to the assessment. Lastly I want to remind you there are two POS in this world the ones who commit the crimes and they ones defend them, now with your obviously stunning intelligence can you figure out which one you are, I hope you rot in hell!
You are a fucking cocksucker! How in the hell can you defend those two pieces of shit?
I am so sick and fucking tired of reading shit like this and then seeing a stupid fucking cocksucker like you get on here to defend them. Do us all a favor and don’t come back
and a FUCK YOU
Ben….where do I start with this one? If your mind is even thinking of doing something like this when someone cheats on YOU then you should do the world a favor and stick to muasturbation. As for facts? 8 DAYS WITHOUT WATER?!?! what facts do we need? Your facts and opinions can shove it. Go castrate yourself with a rusty hunting knife and never come back.
Wow, you are a certified idiot. I agree with the fact you need to go neuter yourself, what are people thinking.
This is going to haunt me, that poor baby.
Ben-so you are saying that since somebody was screwing around, the other one was justified in “forgetting” and starving this child to death? How the FUCK does that make any sense?!
I vote that we send Ben to hell, too.
I second this vote, Hey Max can we add him to the poll ?
Sure, why not? His stupid remark is hellworthy – you rarely hear someone seriously utter as dumb a remark in public.
Thanks! I voted – do I get a sticker?
I can’t even comment about Ben’s post. I can only imagine that he is a troll, and wanted to see the reaction from posting such a retarded idea. If he is serious, then he would be a primary candidate for involuntary sterilization. Since we don’t have such a thing in the US –
BEN! If you were serious, PLEASE go get a vasectomy. Now. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Then you can fuck like a rabbit, and if your limited cognitive ability causes you to pick a worthless ho-bag who cheats on you, at least there won’t be a dead baby lying around. Thanks, and please move along.
I love how he has ALREADY surpassed the other options besides both to hell! Outstanding!
Count my vote too please :-)
ben, i am from the area and that is exactly what the papers said, everything they wrote here is the same story i have heard time and time again. its true………these people were strange to begin with….its horrible and sad and breaks my heart everytime i think about it. but its all true.
and as far as the cheating thing, i think that it is obvious that they didnt have a normal relationship.
And pro-lifers think that they are saving lives…
Sounds to me like abortion should be enforced more and more these days..
Also..a thorough background check should be done on anyone expecting to have or wanting to conceive.
This shit is rediculous.
God..I felt guilty if my child had milk on his chin seconds after feeding him.
Some people are not cut out for parenthood.
Not trying to dig on the mother, because her sperm donor and his slutbag girlfriend did this…but god..I can’t trust my husband to watch our kids for EIGHT MINUTES let alone eight days.
SICK.
All due respect, god bless the baby.
While i in no way advocate the killing of a child, born or unborn….i agree with you there motherof3. When the future of a child is gonna be nothing but pain and dissapointment and cruelty, its better to abort. Its the less of two evils.
I’m not really an abortion advocate either. In some instances, like cases of rape, incest, and if it threatens the life of the mother, yes, an abortion is neccissary.
But, if a woman to become pregnant due to lack of common sense, like oh, say..making the guy use a condom, AND on birth control (I know b.c. isn’t 100 percent effective, but that’s only if it’s used alone..) and say, the condom breaks, and there’s that one percent chance that a child is conceived out of it.
That’s an act of God.
The woman should either embrace it, or give the child up to a couple that has been trying for years to conceive, and not had any luck.
I think most women nowdays say they don’t want to get pregnant or have kids because they are scared to lose the attention that they get, or that they might actually enjoy being a mother…which scares them too, in a sense.
But..the reason why I said abortion in this case, is because no mother in her RIGHT fucking mind (me, especially) wouldn’t go 8 fucking days without checking on their child. NO WAY IN HELL.
I especially wouldn’t leave my child with their father for that long without freaking out. I spaz over leaving him with the kids for longer than an hour.
Again, not trying to dig at the mother, because I don’t know her situation, but she could have been prosecuted too.
Okay…I’m a dumbass.
Hermann IS the mother.
In that case, fry the bitch.
Starve her for eight days, strap her into a child carseat, and with-hold water from her too…all the while…sitting in a snowsuit and a diaper, in which she has to soil, because you can’t use a toilet being strapped into carseat.
Same goes for that sperm donor.
Well the Sargent and Hermann just got sentenced to 100 years in prision today!!! Woo Hoo!!! I hope they both fucking rot in hell.
This is absolutely unacceptable!
While I fully support the death penalty, it’s mainly something I support for the punishment of child predators such as these people.
There is adoption, even abortion.
No child ever deserves this, ever.
There are times when I am very frustrated, while being a single mother can take it’s toll, I would rather have every one of MY limbs ripped from my body while being completely coherent than see, hear, or even have the feeling my son is in pain.
Someone who can actually be able to pass a child by like that, especially their own is completely inconceivable to me.
When I first read this story, I cried.
It’s unbelievable. I cannot fathom it.
I truly wish that someone would sit them in their own feces, tied down and not to be fed for 8 days or longer… or until they died.
They should get what they give.
There are plenty of people who could’ve loved that child so much.
It’s a terrible thing that he or children that share the same fate will never be able to feel that.
OMG!!! That ugly stupid cunt!!! Men are usually irresponsible but that is not an exuse but that dumb bitch of a “mother” wants to act like she does not care? SEE this is why I say that before a baby goes home the parents should have to take drug tests…but even so these parents probobly werent even on drugs just DUMB! How to we stop this in our country? How do we stop people from torturing people. I am in tears and I cannot believe this. That baby, just thinking about him…stuck there…no one to hold him, love him, make him smile, sing to him, play with him…FEED HIM OR CHANGE HIM. He must have gotten to a point of exhaustion at some point…too hungry and sick to even cry anymore. OH MY GOD!!! KILL THESE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goddd, I am like the most forgiving person but this is no exuse. It’s like these parents brains aren’t even formed all the way or something because how can you DO THAT. Why didn’t they just leave the baby at the hospital with a note or just put it up for adoption or why did they even have a kid!! OH MY GODDDDDDD. GRRRR!!! What else can you fucking say except these white trash peice of shit motherfuckers need to have their eyes torn out by the sharp peices of their video game cds, have the controllers rammed up their ass until they bleed uncontrollably then have their rectums ripped out and shoved down eachothers throat. And to think I am one of the nicest sweetest women in my town but I would sit and watch this happen through a glass window, smiling and waving and eating popcorn. Omg…please please rot in hell you peices of TRASH! Where are these people’s parents? The grandparents? Are they trash too for raising a bunch of TRASH! Ugggggggggggg.
One of my kids was a high maintenance baby. He would scream bloody murder if you didn’t hold him. When the pediatrician told me it was time for him to learn how to sooth himself, I thought I would go fucking nuts. He screamed for over 4 hours, each night. I would go into the nursery and talk to him, sing to him, massage his head and tummy for a few minutes then go and sit in the kitchen and contemplate ramming a screwdriver through both of my ear drums. After a few days of this, he learned to sooth himself with his pacifier. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the entire house was. My oldest asked if we could take him back and exchange him. But even though his doctor said it was in his best interest, and it was, it was still difficult. I felt guilty because I wasn’t holding him and wanted to give up and just carry him around the rest of his life. I cannot imagine anyone leaving a child for 8 days. Selfish bastards.
Thank God they got prison time and cannot breed any more.
i was in boyscouts with tracy’s younger brother, he’s normal…… but his sister was always a creep and a half, she always spoke like she was from some medieval times and like a skanky gothic nerd or something and james was sooo fucking wierd! that dude thinks he’s aragorn from lord of the rings and at night he pretends to be elvis and told me how he cried when he visited graceland. like pure white trash , and tracy’s father is the manager at hometown buffet in peoria, you think his fat dumb ass would have called DCFS on them or something, child services anything! i hope they burn in hell.
I wonder if Chris Colelman is an unattached child. Could he have been adopted?
What the living fuck are you talking about? Seriously what does that have to do with this article, and what’s your point?
Joyce said the same thing in the Christopher Coleman story Alanna. I misunderstood what she meant there when I replied to her (I think). In fact, like you, I’m still not sure what she means by “unattached”. Maybe she’s stupid, fucked in the head, or just plain drunk. Whatever the case, she most certainly should shut the fuck up.
The word that comes to mind is “dimwitted”.
Like many ignorant people, I guess it boggles her mind that it isn’t just the “heathens” killing people, and there might be a few precious children of god with bloody axes in their closets….
I live in the uk and so only found this site following our baby p horror story and believe it or not i naively thought these cases were rare… This story though is beyond comprehension, has anyone any idea as to why benjamin wasn’t adopted? So many childless people would have been overjoyed to welcome this dear little chap into their family and meet his every need willingly every minute of every day… My only son is now eleven and is the youngest of my four wonderful kids and watching him growing into a young man is both a scary yet wonderful experience, benjamin was robbed of the chance… Hell no, the RIGHT to grow into a young man, and it sickens me to read the details. My son even now has needs that i meet every way i can, because i’m his mum and i love him unconditionally… May god bless you benjamin, your story has touched many lives as did baby p here. I agree with the post about being pro-active regarding suspicion of abuse, too many little lives are trashed by inadequate parents, we must do more.
Taken from: Andy Kravetz of the Journal Star on pjstar.com
PEORIA —
James Sargent acted in a heinous and brutal way when he failed to care for his 5-month-old son last year, failing to bathe, change or feed him; actions that ultimately resulted in the boy’s death, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Taking only a 10-minute break after the conclusion of the three-day trial, Peoria County Judge James Shadid found Sargent, 24, guilty of first-degree murder. Additionally, the judge rejected any notion that Sargent acted recklessly or was in over his head when he was caring for Benjamin Sargent.
Shadid held the South Peoria man’s actions from Feb. 4 to Feb. 12, 2008, were “brutal and heinous . . . indicative of wanton cruelty;” legal factors which mean he faces up to 100 years when sentenced June 25. He would have to serve 100 percent of any sentence imposed with credit for time already served, about 15 months.
“If he had put his son into his car and sped down toward the mall at a high rate of speed, and crashed, that would be reckless,” Shadid said. “In this case, you put (Benjamin) into a car seat and left him without care for eight days. That’s not reckless.”
Sargent, who had been animated throughout much of the trial, didn’t react when the verdict was announced.
The boy’s mother and Sargent’s former girlfriend, Tracy Hermann, 22, of 3012 W. Proctor St., faces the same charges and will stand trial in August.
The bench trial was emotional. Sargent often wrapped his hands over his head, lowering himself to the table, trembling. Prosecutor Donna Cruz’ voice cracked when she described the boy’s last hours in her closing.
“He was strapped into a car seat, put into his crib, the door to his room was closed and he was left to die,” she said. “His father abandoned him.”
Defense attorney William Loeffel said his client was consumed by the disintegration of his relationship with Hermann.
“He was so preoccupied with this that Ben just slipped his mind,” Loeffel said.
The attorney went on to point out that rather than having a “malignant heart” as prosecutors alleged, James Sargent was a grief-stricken father. The attorney conceded his client wasn’t likeable nor a good parent, yet he said that Sargent lacked the basic skills and never meant to kill Benjamin.
In a videotaped statement to police, Sargent portrayed himself as an exhausted father who was worn down as the sole caretaker of the child. He reached out to relatives for help, but no one came, he said on the tape.
Prosecutor Nancy Mermelstein mocked that, saying he managed to speak with his mother twice during the week in question and both times, he was happy and enjoying himself. All the while, a few feet away, Benjamin was in his crib, alone.
“Is it possible to imagine him not crying out?” she asked during her closing. “Perhaps he stopped because he realized no one would come.”
Rather than grief, Sargent had “a whole lot of self-pity for himself,” she said.
Shadid also nixed an attempt by Loeffel for a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. He said it “strained the imagination for anyone staying at that house not to be aware of the dire circumstances.”
The infant’s diaper wasn’t changed for at least five days and possibly up to a week. He wasn’t bathed for about nine days. His last meal likely came three to four days before he was found, lifeless, on Feb. 12, 2008. Prolonged exposure to that unchanged diaper caused his skin to be eaten away and allowed bacteria to seep into his body, ultimately causing his death.
But even more disturbing were the photos of a happy Benjamin, taken at Christmas and as late as Feb. 4, photos that showed a chubby, smiling boy, who was eating sweet potatoes with his grandmother before going back to his parents’ house.
The infant was an acceptable weight at his two-month checkup. It had been unclear what caused such a tragic turnaround until Wednesday morning, when Sargent said on a videotaped statement to police that the couple and the boy had been living with Hermann’s parents, who were helping with the child-care duties. Sargent and Hermann moved out when Benjamin was about two months old.
Before the trial, Shadid denied Loeffel’s request to use a psychiatrist who would have testified about Sargent’s dissociative disorder, a condition in which he would assume a role from “The Lord of the Rings” and shut himself off from the real world.
Loeffel indicated he would reintroduce that material at his client’s sentencing, in the hope that he could either sway Shadid’s sentence or enable his client to get treatment while in prison.
Iknow thay defense weasels have to say some fucked-up lame shit on behalf of their clients, but …..
“He (Sargent) was so preoccupied with this (his breakup with Hermann) that Ben just slipped his mind,” Loeffel said.
Seriously? Are you shitting me? This is the best the lawyer can do?
Yeesh!
Hahah
I ? Max Thg Cat!
“your’e ass Ben, you’re ass”
classic
A lot of the stories on this website make me ill, but few have haunted me as much as this one (the other one that comes to mind is Brianna Lopez). So heartbreaking that it physically hurts.
Look, I’ve seen postpartum depression up close and while it’s horrible, it doesn’t make you leave your baby to rot to death while you ignore his cries. Even those suffering from pp PSYCHOSIS generally don’t neglect their children like this. This was not illness, this was sheer selfishness.
I hear you Marie. This is the one that gets to me and haunts me. I think about this little boy every single fucking day, and I mean that….every day.
He will never leave me.
Thinking about my daughter at 5 months old… my God. I think about how she wanted nothing more than to be held and those contented little baby sighs she made while drinking her milk. Babies have such an intinctual need to be in someone’s arms. Damn it, there I go crying again. I honestly sometimes wish I had never read this story. But I have had the opportunity to visit Benjamin once, and I plan on doing it again.
Moop,
Sometimes I wish I didn’t know this story. I think, y’know perhaps my life would be better had I not known this, because Benjamin does haunt me. Daily.
When I first heard about this, I weaved back and forth between feeling an anger I really don’t feel too often, and lying in my bed trying to sleep wiping away tears thinking about this beautiful little boy.
I don’t know if you have seen the picture of little Benjamin lying down with his tiny had covering part of his face, but when I saw that one picture a fragment of my soul collapsed. He looked exactly like my little boy. And I remember my son being 5-months old, and how I never wanted to put him down. I remember the little sounds he made when he drank, and slept, and how the thought of SIDS terrified me and forced me to check on him constantly. – Just the split second of a distant thought of the unimaginable happening to him drove me nuts. No way…not on my watch. I was NEVER going to let anything bad happen to my angel
To think what this little boy had to endure. It rips me apart…and I swear to god, this is the one story I can not deal with. I sob and get so fucking angry over this.
I do think about Benjamin every day, and wish so badly I had the chance to raise him. I would have snatched him up so quickly from his nightmare, and assure you….he would be 2-years old this year if I had anything to say about it.
This is why I am a boarderline atheist. These stories shatter everything within me. But they also make me want to be a better mom, so in that respect there is a slight positive.
As I said, I get way too emotional when I write or speak about this child.
Anyways…in another section I thanked you profusely for visiting his grave. I want to thank you again. I wish I lived closer to it. Regardless, thank you for doing that. And now….I am in tears again.
I was 17 when i had my first child. I was a single mum and living in shared accomodaton with two other girls. My baby wasn’t a very good sleeper, he woke up at four and six in the morning for feeds. Sometimes even after a feed, he wouldn’t settle back to sleep straightaway. As you can probably imagine, i was like a zombie the next morning! I was also terrified of cot death however, so even when my baby did sleep, i watched over him.
I took my son everywhere with me. A night out with friends would have been out of the question, no one in my family would have been able to babysit and there was no way i would have left my son with just anyone.
Friends used to tell me they wouldn’t know what to do if they had a baby at that age. I could only say that he didn’t ask to be born and even though i was only young, i was determined to do the best i could for him.
As time passed, my baby grew into mischevous toddler who virtually wrecked the house! I coped with it all somehow, including his little tantrums which sometimes involved him making a grab for my hair! Well, the years have flown by, and my little baby boy will celebrate his 18th birthday next month. We’ve had quite a journey together and i am so proud of the beautiful, loving, kind and generous boy that he has become. He’s not only my son but my best friend and i absolutley would not change a thing.
Which is why its made me sick to my stomach to read about this poor little baby boy. If the mother (and i use that term very loosley) didn’t want him, why didn’t she give him up for adoption? And how dare that demon dad moan that he had no help! So that’s an excuse to starve your baby then, that and the breakdown of a relationship? I had no help either but i was determined to be the best mother i could be to my son.
That poor darling didn’t stand a chance with those two imbecilic parasites as parents.
They do not deserve a trial. They just need to be taken out back and shot. I do not understand why, when someone is caught red-handed in a situation such as this, we waste taxes on trials when it is obvious who is at fault and what they did…or didn’t do. This is a tiny infant who could not care for himself and had no idea what was going on. Poor thing. I cannot imagine the suffering he must have gone through. I understand the laws, everyone has a right to a fair trial…blah, blah, blah. What about baby Benjamin’s rights? His life was taken. Why should his ‘parents’ (if you can call them that) be treated ‘fairly’? I don’t get the legal system at times.
Who does? The system has been taken over by fanciful theories of crime and punishment and deterrence and rehibilitation and provides no justice for victims. The only thing the system is designed to do anymore is to provide endless grounds for appeal. Does it signify anything that the justice system has become more burdensome and complex at the same time law schools are churning out more attorneys?
My son is now 5 months old… It really is the most wonderful, most fun time for us. He coos, he laughs, he smiles. Every morning that I see his beautiful face, I know that he is the most perfect gift that God has given me.
My heart breaks for poor Benjamin… What did he feel during his last moments? To him, the torture he experienced was probably what he thought life was all about. Hunger and loneliness. I wonder if Benjamin ever laughed in his short life. If he was ever able to experience a kiss on the cheek, a warm bath, or the arms of someone who truly loved him. My guess is that he never did experience those things.
As a mother, I cannot even begin to comprehend how these monsters could dwell in a home in which they KNEW a small baby was slowly dying. THEIR small baby boy. Furthermore… How do they continue to live with themselves knowing that they caused his horrendous death?
I still wake up four or five times a night to make sure my boy is breathing, that he is not too warm and not too cool – Simply because I want nothing but absolute comfort and happiness for him. THAT is what our babies deserve when WE decide to bring them into the world. Benjamin deserved that and more.
What brings me comfort when reading this story is that Benjamin left this world as an innocent soul. There is no doubt that he will exist in a perfect paradise, where he can crawl wherever he likes, eat as much as he wants and will receive tremendous amounts of love. God bless you Benjamin!
Take them behind the chemical shed and shoot them, they both look like retards anyway, not fit to live among us… I am being killed here with these childrens stories, i cant imagine doing this to a dog let alone a human baby, this will sound so stupid but I wish I could take each of these children I read about here and hold them, i dont know what fathers feel but when you are a mother, there is something about your childs screams you cannt ignore, you may be exhausted or whatever but that scream you cannot walk away from, its like it tears at you and no matter how tired or irritated you are, it makes you pick that baby up tp comfort it, its a scream, I cannot imagine ignoring my childs cries for 30 seconds let alone 8 days, these retarded fuckers need to fry, strap their fucking asses into a car seat for 8 days and let them scream and cry, I hate them…
Yes, someone else mentioned SIDs too, how you stand over your babys crib checking him or her every couple hours to make sure they are OK, how can someone let this happen? i have read a lot of horrible stories here, i have to go now for a bit, not to sheild myself from reality, but to take a break, I will be back, i am just rather devastated right now and have to come into control of my emotions over this.. I have not become hardened to this and hope I never will…
I want to slap them both in the face with Baby Benjamins dirty diaper, piss on them Turtle…
I’m with you on this – I STILL think about Benjamin’s story, and I also wish that I could have held that small boy. It is just so horrendous… They just DIDNT CARE. They did not care that he was hungry, that he was restrained and completely alone. How can you not care for any baby, let alone YOUR OWN beautiful baby boy?
I read something today that made me think of this beautiful baby boy. I lived in the area where it happened, my daughter was just a few weeks older than Benjamin.
I still think they should be strapped into chairs and left in the middle of the Civic Center. See if they can last eight days with no food or drink and sitting in their own waste.
This is little Benjamin’s obituary… it’s an absolute joke to note that Benjamin is survived by his “loving” parents! This is truely one of the most horrific stories I have come across. That poor darling boy. This world is totally screwed up, sometimes I wish this place would come to an end, for the sake of those suffering unnecessarily :-(
By Journal Star staff
Journal Star
Posted Feb 16, 2008 @ 11:09 AM
Last update Apr 27, 2009 @ 11:09 AM
PEORIA — Benjamin Allen Reeve Sargent, 5 months, of Peoria passed away Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008, at his residence in Peoria.
Benjamin was born Aug. 27, 2007, to James E. Sargent and Tracy Del Hermann of Peoria.
Benjamin is survived by his loving parents; a sister, Natalie-Grace Hermann of Peoria; grandparents, Thomas Eugene (Rosemary Irene) Sargent of Marquette Heights, Ill., and Wendell Allen (Connie Lou) Bohna of Topeka, Ill.; great-grandparents, James Murrell of Washington, Ill., Del (Marian) Bruderer of Tremont, Utah, and Cozette Bohna of Beaverton, Ore.; uncles, John Oliver Bohna of Topeka, Ill., and Joseph Conrad Bohna of Peoria; aunts, Kellie Christine Kuberski of McMinnville, Ore., Jennie Rose Eilene Bohna of Topeka, Ill., and Julie Ann Bohna of Topeka, Ill.; and great-aunts, Brenda Murrell of Washington, Ill., Ruth Damm of Washington, Ill., and Linda (Dr. Daniel) Hoffman of Mount Vernon, Ill.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel in Peoria, with Pastor Rod Willy presiding. Visitation will be one hour prior to services on Monday. Interment will be in Parkview Cemetery in Peoria.
Memorials may be made to the family.
Hmmmm. It seems little Benjamin was “survived” by QUITE an extended family.
Did any of these people with their names in the paper claiming relationship to Benjamin even give him a second thought?
Or are we to believe that the “loving” parents were considered adequate (by these relations) to raise a human? Especially after Tracey gave her first child away?
Just asking.
If I could get my hands on these two assholes, you would be reading my profile on people you’ll see in Hell !!!!!!!
What really gets to me, and I just realized it recently, is less than two miles away from the house where Benjamin died is a crisis nursery- a damn free daycare that will take in your children if you are going through a problematic time and need some to yourself. Did I mention free? And 24 hours a day. There’s no fucking excuse for what these animals did.
She got 50 years, he got 100… they both should have gotten 100…. why was hers so much lowers…
They should have fried.
I think of this sweet baby every day since I read about him. I will never forget…..bless you, Benjamin.
I will always be haunted by this little boy’s story. Even more so because I drove by that house nearly every damn day. I will never forget him, never, but may the world forget those two monsters who called themselves his parents and let them die in prison and rot.
The 8 people who voted they don’t deserve hell: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR A TICKET??? I am shaking in anger and outrage at these two so called “humans”!!! I hope they get strapped to a chair, bundled up, in July, for however many days it takes for them to wither away like this little angel did!! They deserve the very NASTIEST pits of hell!!!!
Some people will always vote no. They’re the ones who post on here that we have no right judging people. Like we have the ultimate say on whether or not someone actually gets into Hell and aren’t voting as a way to vent frustrations with a true jerkoff, or jerkoffs as the case may be.
It pisses me off sometimes. When there’s ambiguity, I can see voting no, but when someone starves a beautiful baby boy like that, leaves him that long in a carseat to die there shouldn’t be a damn debate. No shouldn’t be an option. I’d pay to see St. Peter rip these two bastards a new one, because even a Saint isn’t going to forgive this heinous act.
God, I hate these two pieces of sh*t so much. This made me cry. How sad, when strangers care more about a baby than his own parents. If he had lived, he would have endured things I don’t want to think about. RIP little angel.
These two dirtbags have absolutely no regard for life other than their own. In my opinion, this precious angel was tortured. People prove over and over again that they can take cruelty to new levels.
I will blame not only these dirtbags and the grandmother, but our system for continuing to send the same message out there, that there’s no real consequences. You and I both know these dirtbags will get out at some point.. and in the meantime, the taxpayer rewards them with more benefits than they deserve.. and not even the slightest benefit for a defenseless child. These two dirtbags deserve to rot in their own filth. Dog doodoo has more value than these two. Will nothing ever be sufficient to justify the DP?
Rest in peace little angel.. your story has been told. May God protect you always.
It’s been four years. Not sure of the precise date, but four years.
Still thinking about you, beautiful Benjamin. You taught me to love my children a little more, to give them that extra hug before putting them to bed, and to appreciate every moment that I have with them. I have a five month-old now, and I can’t imagine what life would be like without her, and my older daughter, born the same year as you. I wonder what you would be like if you had been in a proper home, if you’d be as playful as she is, as talkative, as excited about learning new things. No one deserves what happened to you. Hopefully those people who did this to you will never see the free world again. Maybe it would restore my faith in the justice system if they’re repeatedly told they deserve to be in a cage for the rest of their lives.
You’ll never be forgotten, little angel.
I am confused. Why did some random person put the baby “in the back room”? I know that sounds beside the point, but if I saw a random baby sitting somewhere, I definitely wouldn’t tuck it out of sight like a wilted plant. I guess if the doofus parents weren’t around, i’d stay there and take care of it.
And did the female person in the house always feed the baby by just sticking a bottle in his carseat? Well, no wonder he weighed so little because I am pretty sure that doesn’t work until way later. Although, my mother said you have to hold a baby to feed a baby, so that is how my family does it. Poor baby, did anyone ever do that for him?
The two jackasses had someone living in their garage. It was that person who put Benjamin in the back room. I don’t know whatever happened to them, but why they didn’t push the sperm and egg donor to do something about the screaming baby is beyond me. So many people failed that little angel.
I doubt Benjamin got held in his life as much as I hold my baby in a week. He sure as shit didn’t get fed. I can’t stop thinking about a 10 pound 5 month old. My first baby was nearly 10 lbs at birth. My 5 month old is pushing 20. How someone could look at him and think everything was alright.
What really gets me is that he died with his eyes open. I don’t know if he was dead when the bitch put a bottle next to him, but I seriously hope he was. Which makes me wonder how she sleeps that he looked like he was asleep.
I can’t stand this story. Just thinking about it has my eyes watering.