Michael Jacques is a convicted sex offender and police believe that he killed Brooke Bennett. He was released from prison early, reports have claimed. Fox talk show host Bill O’Reilly once suggested that his listeners "visit [Vermont] at your discretion," because it is a "hopeless, hopeless state" that refuses to "protect the kids" from child molesters.

Is Vermont to Blame: Did Sex Offender's Freedom Kill Brooke Bennett?

O’Reilly stated that Vermont "Is gonna lead the league" among the six to ten states that won't pass any laws to protect the kids. Many now blame Vermont and the freedom they give sex offenders for the death of Brooke Bennett.


Michael Jacques had been locked away in Vermont jails on a sentence of 6-20 years for the brutal rape of another girl…and was let out early, for good behavior. Once released he completed their "sex offender" course and the Washington Post reports that was released from probation in 2006. Now, he is in jail, again…but his niece is dead, and the authorities in Vermont believe he is the man that killed her and will again try to prove that he is guilty in a court of law. But does it even matter? The state's reputation is in tatters when it comes to protecting children from sex offenders.

An Associated Press article notes that the state was bombarded with e-mails begging the state to stop coddling sex offenders and make an effort to protect the children, especially those that have already been convicted of harming kids. The e-mails are the types you would expect, asking officials "how they sleep at night" and claiming that the blood of Brooke Bennett is on the their hands.


Read the e-mails here. Prosecutors claim that the uncle (Jacques ) tricked the 12-year old girl into thinking she was going to a party and instead took her to his home to initiate her into a child sex ring. Authorities discovered the body of Brooke Bennett on Wednesday. According to the report, Bennett's former stepfather, Ray Gagnon of San Antonio, Texas, has been charged with obstruction of justice in the case.

Many are again calling on the state to pass Jessica's law. Apparently, prosecutors in the state don't want the law passed. The law requires 25-year minimum sentences for sex offenses.