GUILTY VT - Social worker & 3 women found murdered, Washington County, 7 Aug 2015 - *2018 Appeal Filed*

[katydid23]

It's cool. I'm pretty medicated from a procedure on Friday. I thought for some reason the other women were shot with Sobel outside the building hence me saying more women work in social services which is why all were women victims.
Things make more sense now lol.


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My social worker friend has the same fear that you do. She has had to take children from parents for the safety of the kids. And she has had death threats, often from stepfathers, who were the ones she was fearing were going to harm the kids. UGH

 

[Indy Anna]

Pleads not guilty; held without bond.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vermont-mother-accused-of-killing-social-worker-arraigned/

<<snipped>>

Court documents released Monday say Herring was calm and laughing after the shooting.

 

[Indy Anna]

<<snipped>>
Herring is charged with first-degree murder. No charges have been filed related to the shooting death of her relatives.

The affidavit says Herring became agitated when police interviewed her Friday night. She said police never helped her when her boyfriend beat her and she complained about injustices done to her by DCF.

<<snipped>>
In phone messages left for Dwayne Herring (JH's brother), Jody Herring said he needed to contact her right away. Four minutes later, she left another message, sounding hysterical and telling him to watch the news.

"You'll wish you got ahold of me earlier," she said, according to the affidavit.


read more at ....

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/a824af8d5c4748ea8b2d7102f395e1ee/US--Vermont-Deaths-The-Latest

 

[Tssiemer]

Pleads not guilty; held without bond.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vermont-mother-accused-of-killing-social-worker-arraigned/

<<snipped>>

Scary


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[RubyJuno]

I'm pretty sure I saw some complaints in the articles (maybe in the comments of the articles) that it took too long for emergency responders to arrive and that the victim's body lay on the pavement, covered but with a couple of personal articles visible enough to engender speculation about her identity, for too long as time.

I think the building where the shooting took place is fairly new? I know a bit about Montpelier but not so much about these adjacent towns.

 

[ADCOX]

This is such a terrible situation.. my heart goes out to the social workers family. Many of the comments on the articles are truly scary.

 

[Indy Anna]

Child protection workers face danger, criticism

DCF faced criticism last year following the deaths of two children whom DCF workers allowed to live with their families despite warning signs. Lawmakers passed a bill this year to address some of the most pressing concerns in those cases.

Sobel, 48, of East Montpelier was killed Friday about a month after the suspect in the shooting, Jody Herring, lost custody of her 9-year-old daughter. Herring has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Public records in the murder case are silent on why she lost custody.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the department has faced a new surge of vitriol, particularly online. The governor and other state leaders have risen to defend child protective workers, saying hateful speech exacerbates the risks of the job.

<<snipped>>

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ction-workers-face-danger-criticism/31592077/

 

[Indy Anna]

Criminal convictions of the woman accused of gunning down a state social worker prohibited her from possessing a firearm.

So where did she get the rifle that police say she used?

Absent from a lengthy affidavit prosecutors filed before Jody Herring’s arraignment Monday on a murder charge were details about how the authorities believe Herring obtained the .270-caliber Remington rifle used in the killing. Court papers said she was disqualified from possessing a gun or ammunition under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, a 1993 federal gun-control law.

Read more at ....

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/12/vermont-aid-worker-killed/31532617/

 

[OkieGranny]

Feature article from August:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/...tragedy-unraveling-vermont-slayings/31796559/

Tiffany Herring, 23, daughter of Rhonda Herring, stopped by the family's old farmhouse on Airport Road in Berlin with a friend when she made the gruesome discovery about 8 a.m. Saturday...

Shapiro reported all three women died within seconds of being shot. Regina Herring, 43, was struck twice in the torso. Rhonda Herring, 48, and Julie Ann Falzarano, 73, each were struck once in the "upper extremity/torso," Shapiro concluded.

The time of the three deaths could be important to police as investigators try to develop a time line for the shootings in Barre and Berlin...

A third case related to Jody Herring developed Wednesday when a recent boyfriend, Henry Premont, 51, of Williamstown, held police at bay during a one-hour armed standoff in Barre Town.

He was taken into custody at about 2:30 p.m. at Rickie's Indian Restaurant... Premont had demanded to talk with Herring and screamed obscenities, police said.

From September:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/...der-contents-may-enter-herring-case/71619598/

A digital voice recorder seized from Jody Herring, who is accused of killing four people in Washington County last month, could contain critical information about her intended actions, according to newly released court documents.

Herring, 40, of South Barre was spotted sitting in her car talking to herself minutes before she reportedly gunned down a state social worker...

Herring had developed a &#8220;hit list," court papers allege, and she asked police that night, &#8220;Did you find the other three yet?&#8221;

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20160422/NEWS01/160429858

Jody Herring&#8217;s attorney says she&#8217;s not competent to stand trial for the multiple murder charges she faces.

David Sleigh filed a motion April 6 to dismiss all four felony murder charges...

The state has yet to respond to the motion.

 

[0101ABA]

Herring and DCF: One year later

BARRE &#8212; It&#8217;s still unclear when or if Jody Herring will face trial a year after a killing spree a year ago.

Herring, 41, is accused of fatally gunning down DCF caseworker Lara Sobel outside the department&#8217;s offices at Barre City Place on Aug. 7, 2015. Herring is also accused in the Berlin killing of three relatives she reportedly blamed for getting the state involved in the custody dispute. Her relatives &#8212; Rhonda Herring, 48, Regina Herring, 43, and Julie Falzarano, 73 &#8212; were found dead from rifle fire in a Berlin farmhouse on Aug. 8, but their death certificates indicate they were killed on Aug. 7.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Aug. 1 trial set for woman charged in quadruple killing

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/02/27/trial-date-woman-charged-quadruple-killing/98497048/

A woman charged with shooting and killing three relatives and a social worker in 2015 is scheduled to go on trial nearly two years to the day after the crime took place.

A judge Monday set an Aug. 1 trial date for Jody Herring of Barre.

 

[Gecko100]

And this is my worse fear as a social worker... getting gunned down for doing my job.


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Mine too Tssiemer, I came very close on a few occasions and now am retired with PTSD.
I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often tbh, but mostly you can connect with angry families in therapeutic way to lower the levels of aggression etc. If drugs are involved then it's scary at times. I have had colleagues run off the highway, stabbed, beaten etc. My daughter also worked in the same area, but she has now moved on. Social workers on the whole are given a bad rap, but they work under horrifying conditions (lack of resources) with very difficult people who are violent towards children and partners. It's not easy, and the irony is that the Courts make the decisions regarding guardianship, not the Social Worker. I wonder if this mother was flagged in any way regarding safety.

 

[Gecko100]

Scary


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It's interesting that the exact same comments about the conditions in DCF, has been made for years in Australia and in London two places I have worked. They always talk about conditions caseloads etc. But in my experience it never changes but it does get worse, and then a child dies and it starts all over again. The other issue I found interesting is that only 40% of the workers are actual social workers which requires a 4 year degree here. We recently had a Royal Commission (same stuff again), but one of the major changes that was made was that only social workers be employed and registered. We had been through a period where any degree could get you in, but social work is complex and necessitates appropriately trained personnel, who is trained in specific aspects of the work.
I guess this is something that may come out of the inevitable inquests etc.

 

[Tssiemer]

I have also moved on from social work since this happened. I am now a substitute teacher.


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[Gecko100]

I have also moved on from social work since this happened. I am now a substitute teacher.


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Don't blame you one little bit! Substitute Teacher sounds lovely. One of my issues with the PTSD was seeing what I now consider to be probably fairly normal children being chastised by a parent -as abusive. I had to avoid shops for years.
The cure has been seeing my grandchildren playing/behaving 'normally' I guess it's a bit like that for you.
I never told people off (well two - they were major incidents), but I would intervene to ask the time or something just to break the tension. I can go shopping now, but Xmas is definitely off the list!!

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

http://www.wcax.com/story/35824108/status-hearing-for-suspect-in-4-murders

Under the deal, Herring will plead guilty to first-degree murder and face a minimum sentence of 35 years in the Lara Sobel killing. In the three slayings of Herring's family members, the aggravated murder charges will be reduced to second-degree murder. Herring will serve 20 years to life for each of those. That means she faces a minimum sentence of 55 years for the four murders.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

http://www.wcax.com/story/35824108/status-hearing-for-suspect-in-4-murders

Updated:

"This seemed like the best available way to avoid her dying in jail," Herring's attorney, David Sleigh said.

That's still a likely outcome. She faces up to life in prison for each life she took but the possibility of parole remains on the table.

Jody Herring is expected to be back in court this October for sentencing. That sentencing hearing is expected to last five days, which is highly unusual. But the defense and prosecution are both expected to have exceptionally detailed arguments about how long Herring will spend behind bars, including expert witness testimony.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Sentencing Hearing Scheduled for Vt. Woman Accused of Killing Social Worker, Relatives

http://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/sentencing-hearing-scheduled-for-vt-woman-accused-of-killing-social-worker-relatives/809147201

Jody Herring's sentencing hearing, which is scheduled to last five days, is set to begin November 13, according to court officials in Barre.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Herring sentenced to life behind bars, no parole

https://vtdigger.org/2017/11/15/herring-sentenced-life-behind-bars-no-parole/

Saying “she helped destroy a community,” a judge sentenced Jody Herring to life without parole for killing a state social worker and three of her own relatives she believed played a role in her losing custody of her 9-year-old daughter.

Judge John Pacht imposed the sentence Wednesday afternoon in Washington Superior Court after listening to several victim impact statements, followed by arguments from the prosecutor and Herring’s attorney.

“There were four murders. They were well-planned,” the judge said, adding that Herring “mowed down” with a high-powered rifle her aunt and two cousins on Aug. 7, 2015, before lying in wait in a downtown Barre parking lot to fatally shoot Lara Sobel, a state social worker.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/11/15/jody-herring-case-dcf-workers-killer-gets-life-without-parole/867802001/

Herring, who showed no emotion during the trial and sentencing hearing, spoke in court, saying she understands the loss of a child because she has lost custody of three children.

“I’m very sorry. I can’t take back that day. I wish I could but I can’t. I handle my stress so differently than anybody else does, and I wish could help myself,” Herring said.

“I asked for help several times, and I didn’t get it,” she added.

https://www.timesargus.com/articles/herring-sentence-life-no-parole/

After the hearing, Sobel’s sister, Lauren Sobel Shapiro, said her family is very grateful for the sentence.

“It was the correct outcome,” she said. “Today was a day that justice actually prevailed. … As a family, we’re very grateful that the court saw things the way we’ve been seeing them and that Jody Herring will never be out there to live one day of freedom.”

Tim Faryniarz, Sobel’s husband, said his youngest daughter was on the phone with Sobel the day of the shooting, asking her mother when she was going to be home.

“Having spoken her last words to her mother, her answer was the noise of mommy being shot down not once, but twice,” he said. “Only chaotic sounds filled Lara’s baby’s ears. The sounds of the hidden, of the unknown. Noise without an answer.”

Naomi Herring, niece to Rhonda and Regina and granddaughter to Falzarano, said she was 19 years old when Jody Herring took her family away from her.

“I no longer consider you my family,” she said to Herring.

Naomi Herring said her aunts and grandmother didn’t deserve what happened to them. She said family holidays will never be the same, if they happen at all “thanks to your thoughtless actions.”