5 Month Infant Starved and Left to Die by His Parents

Poor Benjamin Sargent was left without food or water for eight days. He was found dead & secured in his car seat. When his body was discovered by police his eyes were staring ahead and fists clenched.

"It's the worst case of child neglect we have seen since the turn of this century," Lyons said afterward. "(On Tuesday), I told (Peoria Police) Chief (Steve) Settingsgaard that this case even rattled me."

Both are charged with capital murder for their son's death. They could both serve 100 years for his death through their abandonment. He weighed 8 pounds at birth and weighed only 10 pounds at the time of his death.

The jury should strike down a swift guilty conviction for these parents. What is this world coming to. When I thought the marine puppy story was as bad as it gets......



www.saukvalley.com...

This and other stories like it are a sign of the times.

We have stress and overpopulation.

All creatures kill their young in such circumstances.

Humans are supposed to know better, but their base instincts usually get the better of them.
Certainly we view this as a horrific thing. Keep in mind that we are looking at it thru our own eyes and our own experience. Likley many will identify this child with their own or even themselves. And they judge accordingly.
This is not impartial judgment. Neither is the law impartial. It is a one size fits all law.

It is this couple's child. It is their loss and none other.
The solution is not in "roasting" these people, but in looking for the root cause and finding a remedy. Society in general is very sick.

There is no true psychological guidance. We are influenced 24/7 by all manner of propaganda on TV. Is there any of it that teaches us how to live better lives?
Some think that religion is supposed to do this. Ha ha. Religion just teaches to to have fear for your afterlife. "Sin as you want - you will be forgiven etc."

reply to post by OhZone


So, are you making excuses for them? Do you not think they should be punished?

There, Benjamin sat for eight days, most of which while both Hermann and Sargent were home, "playing video games, watching TV, feeding and caring for themselves," Lyons said afterward.

Sargent told police he had moved the baby "once or twice," but later conceded that he might not have moved Benjamin at all during the week, Lyons said.

"The person from the garage tells police that Benjamin was found just as he had left him eight days earlier," the prosecutor said.

Hermann's last contact with her son was the night before police were notified. Then, she allegedly told police 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 car seat so that when he woke up, he could grab it and feed himself," Lyons said in open court.

When asked if either exhibited signs of mental illness, Lyons said they showed no such signs from the state's point of view.

"Police noted that she seemed callous and somewhat annoyed with the process, something similar to what she showed in the courtroom today," he said.

They should NOT get the death penalty!!! They should be thrown into a tiny hole in the ground and left there to rot while they starve to death.


[edit on 4-3-2008 by greeneyedleo]

reply to post by Master_Wii



I'll be honest with you: I haven't even read the article, nor do I intend to.
(If I do, that child will be stuck in my mind, with the rest of them, until the end of time... Which will probably happen anyway).

But the reason that moved me to react is the old nagging question: how do those who advocate the existence of a "master plan", or reincarnation (etc.), or even "life as illusion", explain such cases?

(Please, notice I haven't even mentioned "guardian angels"...)

I mean, how and why would this child - and all the countless other infant victims - "choose" such a life, "learn" from it - or, indeed, construct by himself his life as an "illusion"?

I am not saying that anything of the above is impossible or anything, but it does boggle my mind somewhat...

I am not at my best right now (I seldom am ; )), because it's almost dawn here, but I trust everyone understands what I am talking about.








[edit on 4-3-2008 by Vanitas]

Punish them - for what?
Why? What exactly would this accomplish? Who are you to exact vengence on these people or any other?
They are not on a homicidal rampage.
They abandoned their baby. Their problem.
They did nothing to you or to society.
They are sick. Being sick does not equate to being a criminal.
Getting yourself all upset about it and screaming for blood is not correcing the prevalent social situation.

As I said, this is a sign of the times.

Google "baby found dead".

Society is very sick. Many people seem to have reverted to primitive instincts. When life is too much for them to handle, or they become preoccupied, then baby is just unimportant. These human "shells" cannot think.

If ever our so-called leaders become interested in the wellfare of the people They will set up a system wherin everyone will be educated to live in the advanded culture which we are supposed to be.
In the meantime we will have these semi-savage, feral people.

Wow !!!

Let's see, within the last week or so

"Father Beheads Toddler In Market"

" U.S. Marines Throw Puppy Off Cliff"

"Baby Found Starved To Death"

Just makes you want to go sniff flowers and say "what a wonderful world"....

Nuff said'

Originally posted by OhZone
Punish them - for what?
Why? What exactly would this accomplish? Who are you to exact vengence on these people or any other?
They are not on a homicidal rampage.
They abandoned their baby. Their problem.
They did nothing to you or to society.
They are sick. Being sick does not equate to being a criminal.
Getting yourself all upset about it and screaming for blood is not correcing the prevalent social situation.

AND THIS RESPONCE SOLIDIFIES WHY PEOPLE KEEP DOING THIS SORT OF THING!!!!

Punish them for what? Are you serious....your not that stupid are you?

Why-What exactly would this accomplish? It would one: get rid of completly useless people, and two it will send a messege to the other "parents" or careless sex partners that if/when you have a child you take the responsability for it...and if you can't you give it up for adoption..NOT KILL IT!!!

Who are you to exact vengence on these people or any other? We are a society that should be fed up enough to FINALLY do something about it. Stop making excuses like "their sick"....they weren't to sick to crawk into bed and have sex and make this baby...which means they are well aware of what they did. It is being proven day after day, event after event, if WE THE PEOPLE do not gather and start setting a presidence these things will continue at even higher rates.

They are not on a homicidal rampage. -- Oh yes forgive us...they only let their baby starve to death...thats right...give them a $1000 gift card to best buy so they can get a new TV to watch porn on and make another baby and try it again...

They abandoned their baby. Their problem. --WOW, your a sad sad individual with a statement like that.

They did nothing to you or to society. -- They sure did, they just pissed me off, and they just made our SOCIETY more evil then it already has been.

They are sick. Being sick does not equate to being a criminal. -- That excuse has run its course...it amazes me..people can go through life, go to school, play sports, have dates, get jobs, have sex...and their normal..have a baby which means now you have to have RESPONSABILITY and all of a sudden, "their sick", "their ill", "their mentally disturbed", etc...its BS!

This will continue until WE finally start doing something about it...and yes...that means more then giving meds, giving jail cells, and making excuses for people who knew EXACTLY what they did!!!!!

[edit on 3/6/2008 by rcwj75]

That is SICK!!!
Torturing that child while it cried, until it grew too weak to!
There aren't drugs hard enough to stay that high, that you wouldn't care for a baby for a week(??)

Absolutely the Death Penalty!

This was just such a sad, sad story. That poor little infant. 5 months old. Left for 8 days. Still in its car seat. Still in it’s snowsuit. They never even took the baby out. Didn’t change the diapers, feed, or bath. They did however, feed themselves, changed and bath themselves and played video games.

I am so sick of people thinking video games is so much more important than that of a life. These people are inhuman. They are indeed sick.

This poor baby would have been loved by so many people. Thousands of people would of took him in and fed him and loved him. Bless his heart.

Life is cheap in today's society. It's easy to snuff out someone who inconveniences you.

I have to agree with OhZone.

Originally posted by _DISAVOWED_
Wow !!!

Let's see, within the last week or so

"Father Beheads Toddler In Market"

" U.S. Marines Throw Puppy Off Cliff"

"Baby Found Starved To Death"

Just makes you want to go sniff flowers and say "what a wonderful world"....

Nuff said'

You make a good point.
Which is why I'd like to add just a few relevant - very recent - examples from Europe:

- In the UK, there is a small town with a deluge of teen suicides. "No suicide pact exists", say the police. Which I am sure it's true - and that makes it even worse.

- In Croatia, a young teenager (I think) who was always very good at school and a "very nice boy" altogether poured gasoline all over himself in the school corridor - and lit a match. Just like that. "Unprovoked".
Following which another teenager, a girl, became so depressed by this account that she hanged herself.


Not quite the same - but I trust everyone can see my point within this context:

WHAT'S HAPPENING?





[edit on 7-3-2008 by Vanitas]

Originally posted by OhZone
This and other stories like it are a sign of the times.

We have stress and overpopulation.

All creatures kill their young in such circumstances.

Humans are supposed to know better, but their base instincts usually get the better of them.
Certainly we view this as a horrific thing. Keep in mind that we are looking at it thru our own eyes and our own experience. Likley many will identify this child with their own or even themselves. And they judge accordingly.
This is not impartial judgment. Neither is the law impartial. It is a one size fits all law.

It is this couple's child. It is their loss and none other.
The solution is not in "roasting" these people, but in looking for the root cause and finding a remedy. Society in general is very sick.

There is no true psychological guidance. We are influenced 24/7 by all manner of propaganda on TV. Is there any of it that teaches us how to live better lives?
Some think that religion is supposed to do this. Ha ha. Religion just teaches to to have fear for your afterlife. "Sin as you want - you will be forgiven etc."

Bollocks to that! What's the point in trying to find the cause and a remedy in this case? Strap them both to a chair and let them starve to death.

Bollocks to that! What's the point in trying to find the cause and a remedy in this case? Strap them both to a chair and let them starve to death.

I am appalled at myself, but... oh yeah.

This HAS to stop.
Period.
And if the only way to achieve is to make people suffer themselves - then so be it.

I really hope it isn't, though.

Originally posted by YorkshirePudding
Strap them both to a chair and let them starve to death.

Sounds just.

Shame a recording of the infants cries does not exist to be played on a loop for as long as it takes for the scum to expire.

Originally posted by scientist
I have to agree with OhZone.

OK so if you agree with OhZone and his way of thinking your basically saying we should all be able to kill or allow to die, anyone we want if they are a burden to us. And after we kill them, the only thing that should happen to us is recieve mental help, not jail or death...because we aren't comitting a crime, we are "sick"?

If your a parent scientist, you actually believe its ok for YOU to decide that starving your child to DEATH is YOUR business not societies or the laws? That it only effects you and that your decision was NOT criminal?

To say that the parents have only caused a loss to themselves and not to society is untrue.
When a man landed on the moon where we not all uplifted as a society? When a genocidal maniac went on a killing spree during WWII, were we not all shamed as a society?
Yes, it was their child to RAISE as they see fit but killing another human being is against the law for a reason. We are all diminished by this inhumane act. And murder of anybody is against the law. I think we can all agree that such acts are "sick" which is WHY they're illegal.
Lazy and self-centered is not a valid legal defense. By that reasoning, anyone who inconveniences me is fair game? All those people on welfare, social security, disability, etc. that my tax dollars pay for are inconveniencing me financially (I don't mind) so I should be allowed to kill them?
I think we tend to despise what we have too many of. When life was harder and infant mortality was higher, we tended to value our children and each other. With 6billion+ people on the earth the human element has become devalued. The gene pool needs cleaning.

I cant believe (or can I) that anyone in their right mind would not call for the extreme punishment of these animals.

They have the right to kill their own? Whatever!

Their own is a LIVING HUMAN BEING (not a 3 week old fetus in the womb) and last I checked it is against the law and against all morals to kill another human being.

We cant have twisted people running around society who have no respect for human life. They should not be allowed to walk the streets freely.

What those disgusting people did is NOT a fixable mental illness. People who have the mental capacity to play video games and otherwise function normally dont have a forgiving, fixable mental illness. These were not mentally retarded people either. They are twisted and evil.

They ONLY deserve to starve and rot to death. That is just punishment in this case.

End of story.

[edit on 7-3-2008 by greeneyedleo]

Stories like these make me confused. Why don't these people who are not fit, and have to know they are not fit, give the babies to someone else who will love them and care for them.
Cripes! I'd take up to 5 of them myself.
I'd do it without any compensation from foster programs also.
To the hateful ... Give your babies a chance for real love. Don't let them die a horrible death. There are many like me who will raise these children
right. Save your baby -save yourself.

It seem you hear more and more lately when something like this happens is "They are indeed sick." Are they really? or is it their own self-absorption? Only caring for their own needs and to Hell with anything else! This innocent little baby must of suffered horribly. The fact is some people should never have children. It's not just the parents problem, as one poster stated. It effects all of us. Especially the ones who care for the battered and dead children! ie- The Police Officers, and Medical Personal.
I will never forget baby girl Corina and it's been, over 20 years ago. I was working on the baby ward when Corina was admitted with a severe skull fracture. She had to have immediate surgery for a shunt. Corina was sent back home with her parents. Two months later she was admitted again, with broken bones and another skull fracture. The mother was suspected of abusing her baby girl yet her lawyers got her off. The woman's husband even suspected the abuse, but was never home to see it. However, he stood by his good wife. The last time Corina was transported to the hospital she was D.O.A. (dead on arrival). Finally the mother was convicted of child abuse, but too late for baby girl Corina.
I'll never understand why these so-called parents just didn't give Corina up for adoption. I would have taken her brain damaged and all. As it was she didn't even have a chance. Just like this poor innocent starved and neglected baby.