ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages

I watched a video of Benny Gibson standing before a judge asking him to let him out of jail for two weeks to
allow him to go home and take care of his three children:

"I have three other children I need to care of. If I could get out for two weeks under supervised probation, whatever it takes to get matters in order"

The biggest problem with this laughable request is that this man, Benny Gibson who was 49 at the time and
Jennifer Paul, who was 37 at the time, were in jail for beating their fourth child, Jacob Gibson so badly, that he
was clinging to life in the hospital after surgery to stop the swelling on his brain. Police and paramedics had
been called to the home of these two people on August 12, 2011. What they found when they got there was a
child who had clearly been beaten. Six year old Jacob Gibson was not breathing and he was having severe
convulsions:

"The child has extensive bruising on his chest, legs, sides and back that included some imprint
markings that appeared to have been caused by a belt buckle and possibly a wire hanger.
Investigators are alleging that at some point the victims head was shoved against a bedroom door"

At that point, the police said they were not expecting Jacob to live. Benny and Jennifer gave different stories as
far as what had happened to this little Angel. Jennifer stated that Jacob had been beaten up by one of his
cousins, who was also six years old and that he was sick the day before it happened. Another story Jennifer
told was that Jacob had been playing soccer the day before and was complaining of a headache when he got
home.

Benny told police that Jacob had been taking the family dog for a walk a few days before and that the dog had
ended up dragging him down a flight of stairs which he had hit his head on. Benny also said that he saw Jacob
pass out and fall to the floor.

Only one day after Jacob was taken to the hospital, Jennifer told police that Benny had beaten Jacob quite
often with a belt including the belt buckle. At that point she also said that she had not done anything to protect
Jacob and that she had, at times, participated in spanking Jacob and that Benny would also refuse to feed
Jacob as a punishment, on many occasions. Benny admitted to police that he had hit Jacob with a belt buckle,
though he said the head injuries he suffered had been given to him by Jennifer and that it was what cause him
to start convulsing.

Not surprisingly, this couple had been visited on several occasions by Child Protective Services who has an
open case file against them since 2005. When Jacob was only four days old, he was removed from the family
home and around the same time, another of their children was also taken. Both children were returned to the
couple for reasons I am unable to find since court records show that neighbors had called CPS and the police
when they saw bumps and bruises on Jacob. During the last four years of his life, CPS had been called no less
than five times including the most recent stating that Jacob had a golf ball sized knot on the side of his head and
two black eyes, a complaint that was filed the month before his death. Another complaint stated that one day
when Benny picked Jacob up from school, seemed to be angry with him and then put his hands around Jacob's
neck.

Three prior complaints in 2007, stating Jacob had bruises on his legs, 2009, where a neighbor reported that Benny was hitting Jacob in the head and made him stand outside naked for wetting his pants and 2010
when it was reported that the left side of Jacob's faced swelled up because Benny abused him. Neighbors said
that Benny could be heard yelling at Jacob and would force him to stand at attention, on a box, to punish him. CPS did not find any validity in those complaints, however, they did find it appropriate to offer the family help by way of Community Services. Police had visited the home during the previous two months and when they were
unable to find anyone at home, they were not able to check on Jacob.

A neighbor said:

"It's been going on for a while, and they just don't ever do anything. They came a couple of times
in the past few weeks. I don't know why nothing happened. They could have stopped it"
BIll Safran

On August 14, 2011, Jacob died from the injuries he had sustained during the beating his parents gave him.
When contacted, CPS had no comment and the Phoenix Police said they were taking steps to find out if more
could have been done to save Jacob.

If more could have been done? Seriously? More than the NOTHING that was done? I think it's time for CPS and
the police to start getting serious about protecting children. Go undercover, live next door to the abusers, hear
what the neighbors hear, see what the neighbors see. It's not complicated, catch the abusers and put them away
for life!

Benny and Jennifer were arrested at the hospital. Under the law in Arizona, adults who are convicted of a
"dangerous crime against children", which includes child abuse, can receive a maximum sentence of 24 years
in prison. Let's hope that the death of Jacob brings a far more severe punishment and that these two monsters
NEVER get out.

Messages I found while reading about this story: (not changed other than omitting names)

My name is (omitted by site creator) and I live directly across from the apt. 29 in Twillingate Apartments. An I can tell you just from what I've herd it wasnt right what the father did ! An the mother wasnt any better either for letting it happen! I never herd the mother say or do anything to stop it. There were several screams and crys everyday from the children...for me it was very sad to hear this. Because as I was child growing up I had to deal with abuse. I thank God for it not getting severe for me, but this 6yr. old boy needs everyone to help. Please pray for him as he might not see another day...Thank you

-Cps and the police were called about the abuse of Jacob by neighbors starting last year when a little girl
reported to my exhusband that she could hear the torture of this boy through the walls of the apts my exhusband
called cps numberous times and each time the parents would hide Jacob saying he was away with relatives the
father went so far as to try to sue my ex for slander and harassment because he called so many times. The
abuse the neighbors seen was horrendouds and cps didnt protect Jacob. I can not tell you publicly what I
have been told but my daughter is 13 told me about the abuse months ago and the father would smack the kid
in public not really caring who seen him do it.