VT - Dr. Honoree Fleming, 77, Homicide, Castleton, 5 Oct 2023

[HawthorneJuniper]

Killer remains at large in fatal shooting of retired college dean in Castleton - VTDigger

 

[Trublue21]

crimes on trails are becoming too common
RIP Dr. Fleming

I agree and if I wasn’t such a rational person, I’d think a group of incels, who like to fantasize online about murdering random women on hiking trails, might actually be involved. R.I.P. Dr. Fleming….
I hope this guy is caught soon.

 

[arielilane]

I've written four stories in the past five months about different women killed by apparent strangers when they were walking or hiking alone on trails close to their homes.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711591452810351010

Woman Killed On Trail Near Vermont University Identified As Retired Dean

Biochemist Honoree Fleming was days away from celebrating her 45th wedding anniversary when she was fatally shot in the head while walking on her favorite trail.

www.huffpost.com

Oct 9, 2023, 08:21 PM EDT

A retired Vermont university dean was killed while she was walking on her favorite trail Thursday afternoon near the campus where she once taught.

Honoree Fleming, 77, a respected biochemist and cell biologist, was shot in the head around 4 p.m. on the Delaware and Hudson Rail-Trail near the Vermont State University Castleton campus, where she served as Dean of Education before her retirement. Her body was found about half an hour later, and witnesses described seeing a red-haired white man, approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall, whom the Vermont State Police has named as a person of interest. He has not been apprehended, and police warned that he was considered armed and dangerous, and urged residents to be vigilant.

 

[RickshawFan]

crimes on trails are becoming too common
RIP Dr. Fleming

IMO in the scheme of things, they are not very common. And there are trails in town, and trails in the wilds....very different.

There are also WAY more people using outdoor recreational facilities than before COVID. Last weekend, in a 3-hour volunteer stretch on the trails in a very small national park, I talked to 216 different people. I barely had time to eat my snack. I didn't even get to say hi to everyone I saw. That's insanity: I only walked 1.2 miles each way.

 

[dotr]

Wondering if a striped shirt would stand out in that environment?
Thinking an accurate shot to the head of a 'moving target,' does not seem like the act of an amateur or somebody out of control, imo, speculation, fwiw. rbbm

Police search for killer after former college dean found dead on trail near campus

Honoree Fleming, 77, of Castleton, was shot and killed while walking on the rail trail near campus last Thursday. Fleming was a former dean at the college.

www.kcrg.com

''Police say Fleming entered the trail from the pavilion area at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus and walked south toward Poultney.''
''She was wearing a white and blue striped shirt, black pants, and black sneakers at the time.''

''Anyone with information is asked to call the state police in Rutland at 802-773-9101 or to submit an anonymous tip online.

Police say the person of interest in this homicide is considered armed and dangerous.

Since the killing, there has been increased security on campus. The university canceled classes on Monday as students returned from fall break.

On Tuesday, classes resumed, despite the ongoing manhunt for a killer near campus.''

 

[Mercyneal]

Wondering if a striped shirt would stand out in that environment?
Thinking an accurate shot to the head of a 'moving target,' does not seem like the act of an amateur or somebody out of control, imo, speculation, fwiw. rbbm

Police search for killer after former college dean found dead on trail near campus

Honoree Fleming, 77, of Castleton, was shot and killed while walking on the rail trail near campus last Thursday. Fleming was a former dean at the college.

www.kcrg.com

''Police say Fleming entered the trail from the pavilion area at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus and walked south toward Poultney.''
''She was wearing a white and blue striped shirt, black pants, and black sneakers at the time.''

''Anyone with information is asked to call the state police in Rutland at 802-773-9101 or to submit an anonymous tip online.

Police say the person of interest in this homicide is considered armed and dangerous.

Since the killing, there has been increased security on campus. The university canceled classes on Monday as students returned from fall break.

On Tuesday, classes resumed, despite the ongoing manhunt for a killer near campus.''

There must have been cyclists too. They move too fast to be a target. Why was she targeted? Had she been stalked? Does not seem random at all. Perhaps someone with a grudge. There were no eyewitnesses.

 

[dotr]

rbbm

Retired Vermont State University Dean, 77, Fatally Shot in Head on Hiking Trail | Oxygen Official Site

Learn more about 77-year-old retired Vermont State University dean Honoree Fleming being found shot to death along a hiking trail last week.

www.oxygen.com

''So far, state authorities said that the security camera footage they have reviewed “hasn’t been much of a help.”

“We’re still canvassing the area,” Major Dan Trudeau of the Vermont State Police said at news conference Friday, according to the Associated Press. “It is early hunting season. There’s hunters who may have game cameras in the woods.”

''The university said Fleming had previously served as a faculty member at Trinity College, Middlebury College, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai prior to arriving at Castleton Campus.''


“There is an area-wide dragnet out for her killer,” Powers said in an online statement on Friday. “Police believe that it was random, but all possibilities remain open.”

Fleming was killed days before the couple was slated to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.''

 

[arielilane]

CASTLETON, Vt. (AP) — Students and residents in a small Vermont university town were being told to lock their doors and stick together as police searched Tuesday for a killer who shot a retired dean on her favorite walking trail last week.

Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor of education at Vermont State University in Castleton, was found shot to death Thursday afternoon about a mile (1.61 kilometers) south of campus. Police said Monday they don’t know if the community of roughly 4,500 people is in any further danger or whether Fleming was targeted.

“I recommend to the public to be vigilant, have some awareness,” said Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division. “If you’re out, be with a friend.”

[...] More at link...

Includes 5 min video w/Ashley Banfield and Alex Caprariello (unfortunately, not much progress is being made in this case).

Police search for killer of retired Vermont college dean who was shot on trail near campus

Updated: OCT 10, 2023 / 10:52 PM CDT

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Out of curiosity, as a former Dean of Education, would she have been the one to expel students? Does any article mention how long she was there and when she retired?

 

[waldojabba]

Out of curiosity, as a former Dean of Education, would she have been the one to expel students? Does any article mention how long she was there and when she retired?

Looks like she also worked at a few other Vt colleges in the past as well. So could be lots of disgruntled students esp if her dept held the kids accountable for behavior on campus. It’s a very emotionally charged topic these days esp anything around sexual assault. Or if she was more involved in academics a person getting a bad grade etc.
A gun to the head feels pretty up close and personal to me. The short red hair on the suspect might be helpful to track him down since it’s not so common, but then again hair is easy to dye. The impression I get is that it is a young person 20 ish.
Her husband was pretty high profile too as an author. His last book about mental illness. He could also have set somebody off unintentionally I suppose.
As with any of us I suppose - lots of possibilities out there.
So senseless. Heartfelt sympathy to the family.
JMO

 

[bestill]

That's a pretty tight window, she entered the trail at 4:00 and was found at 4:30. I wonder if she was followed from home to the trail. Leaning towards this being personal. JMO

 

[dotr]

Vermont police release sketch of a person of interest in the killing of a retired college dean

CASTLETON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont State Police on Wednesday released a sketch of a person of interest in the killing of a retired college dean who was shot dead last

www.thestar.com

'The man was described as 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) white male with short, red hair, who appeared to be in his 20s. He was wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack, and is considered armed and dangerous, police said.
Witnesses reported that the man was acting odd, Dunlap said, but he would not elaborate. More than one person observed the man but Dunlap would not say how many.
“A person of interest, a suspect, it’s definitely somebody we want to talk to,” he said.'

Oct 11, 2023
Vermont State Police say they have a composite sketch of the person of interest in the killing of Dr. Honoree Fleming, who was shot to death on a Castleton hiking trail October 5.

 

[nao]

Moo. The image has a ' thick?' neck but there is no weight or physical descriptors

 

[bestill]

Any reports of what she was carrying when she was walking, like a wallet? keys? phone? So little info.

 

[arielilane]

VSP said the sketch is a composite of all of the descriptions they have received from witnesses since Fleming was found on Thursday evening.

"This is the best from their recollection so it’s not gonna be 100 percent perfect. But just like any other composite sketch, there could be some variations. So, if you see some variations and you might think it’s the person, please reach out and we can look into it,” said Capt. Scott Dunlap of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit.

Vermont State Police release sketch of person of interest in Castleton homicide

Updated: 5:55 PM EDT Oct 11, 2023

 

[lovetohike]

We have a home about an hour south of Castleton. Have not heard any local rumors and nothing on the news. Not sure if that is good or bad. Sometimes you hear that the investigators do not want to release too much information. I wonder if that is the case here? Or they do not have any more information?

 

[*LD*]

Honoree Fleming, a retired university dean, shot to death on Vermont trail

Vermont State Police are asking the public, businesses and hunters near a state university campus to review their surveillance systems after Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor who was married to best-selling author Ron Powers, was found shot to death on a rail trail.

apnews.com

"Fleming was a beloved retired dean of education and researcher “with countless papers published,” the university said in a statement Friday.
She also was the wife of Powers, who co-wrote the book “Flags of Our Fathers,” about the men involved in the famous flag-raising during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 1973 for criticism, he also wrote a biography of Mark Twain and more recently, “No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America,” about his sons’ battles with schizophrenia.
“There is an area-wide dragnet out for her killer,” Powers posted online Friday. “Police believe that it was random, but all possibilities remain open.”
He added, “Those of you who knew her know that she was beautifully named. I have never known a more sterling heart and soul than hers. She has taken far more than half my own heart and soul with her.”

Incredibly disappointing that there are so many lines shared about her husband and so few about her.

 

[RickshawFan]

The Dean has red hair, too? Interesting....

 

[lovetohike]

The Dean has red hair, too? Interesting....

I searched for a Dean with red hair. Which Dean at Castleton are you referring to?

 

[RickshawFan]

I searched for a Dean with red hair. Which Dean at Castleton are you referring to?

Honoree Fleming. Her photo ^^^^^.