Police: Woman laughed after killing social worker
BARRE, Vt. — Though her clothes were stained with blood, the woman accused of killing a state social worker was calm, laughed and made small talk with police after firing a .270 caliber rifle twice and killing Vermont state social worker last week, according to court papers released ahead of the suspect's arraignment Monday.
Jody Herring, 40, of South Barre, Vt., was led into Vermont Superior Court in Barre city at about noon ET Monday ahead of a 1 p.m. court hearing. Herring's motive for the slaying was being upset at losing custody of her 9-year-old daughter, police said.
She was charged Monday only with killing Lara Sobel on Friday as the social worker left her office for the weekend. Authorities suspect that Herring also killed three of her relatives in a farmhouse 6 miles away, but no charges in that case were filed.
The homicides are one of Vermont's deadliest outbursts of violence. Assistant Attorney General John Treadwell said the second investigation is "in its infancy."
Defense lawyer David Sleigh pleaded not guilty on Herring's behalf during the 7-minute court hearing where she sat less than 100 yards from the parking lot where Sobel died. He said had no objection to her continuing to be jailed without bail.
Sobel, 48, of East Montpelier, Vt., was a Vermont Department for Children and Families employee for more than 14 years. Two gunshots to her torso and upper extremities killed her, according to a sworn police account of what occurred Friday afternoon in the parking lot of Barre City Place where her agency has an office.
One of the shots was fired from close range.
Scott Williams, Washington County state's attorney, wrestled the rifle away from Herring after the shooting, according to the police affidavit. He and other witnesses held Herring down until police arrived and arrested her.
The next morning, the authorities found the bodies of two of Herring's cousins and one of her aunts in a home in the nearby town of Berlin, Vt. Gov. Peter Shumlin has identified Herring as "the alleged perpetrator" in all four killings — one of Vermont's deadliest outbursts of violence.
Tiffany Herring, the daughter of one of the victims, told the Burlington Free Press that Jody Herring had threatened her loved ones and made comments about the Department for Children and Families.
Prosecutors could file additional murder charges at any point. The police have said the investigation into all four slayings is ongoing. A court clerk here said more affidavits could be filed in the case.
Tiffany Herring, 23, said she found the bodies of her mother, aunt and grandmother Saturday:
• Regina Herring, 43
• Rhonda Herring, 48, who was Tiffany Herring's mother.
• And Julie Falzarano, 73.
Records show that Jody Herring has 11 misdemeanor convictions dating to 1994, including drunken driving, domestic assault and disorderly conduct.
Monday's arraignment took place in Barre despite her defense team's efforts Sunday to have the proceeding moved to Burlington, almost 50 miles away. But Attorney General Bill Sorrell, who is prosecuting the case because of Williams' involvement as a witness, asked that the court hearing be held in Barre.
An affidavit of probable cause that prosecutors filed Monday morning outlines the state's case against Jody Herring in the Sobel killing.
The state intends to charge Jody Herring with first-degree murder in that case. If convicted, she faces 35 years to life in prison.
Witnesses told officers that Jody Herring approached Sobel as she left work at a little before 5 p.m. Friday and said Jody Herring shot Sobel with the rifle, then shot the social worker again after she fell to the ground, according to the affidavit.
Williams was working out at a nearby gym when he heard the gunshots and ran to the scene.
“I was able to disable the weapon and move it,” Williams, a U.S. Navy veteran, said outside the Barre courthouse Monday afternoon, adding that he had two bystanders restrain Herring until police arrived minutes later.
A tearful Williams said he comforted Sobel in her final moments and asked his wife to go to Sobel's home to notify the social worker's family.
“She was a pit bull of an advocate for kids. She did not hesitate to let judges and lawyers know what was best for kids,” Williams said. “I respected the hell out of her.”
Police described the gun used in the crime as a Remington Model 700, a bolt-action rifle.
Officers discovered a sleeve of .270-caliber rifle bullets in Jody Herring’s waistband after her arrest, according to the affidavit. In a search of her South Barre home Saturday, investigators found 34 spent .270 shell casings, 14 live rounds and a June 2 receipt from Wal-Mart for the purchase of ammunition.
Investigators also found a box of .270-caliber ammunition in Jody Herring’s vehicle in the Barre City Place parking lot.
Once in custody, Jody Herring behaved erratically, police said. She was "very calm and laughing during the entire interaction," and "making small talk about the incident like it was no big deal."
She became agitated when the police tried to interview her, the affidavit states. Investigators said Jody Herring ranted about being beaten by a former partner and how she believed that the Department for Children and Families had mistreated her.
Jody Herring's 11 previous misdemeanor convictions — for charges such as DUI, domestic assault, disorderly conduct and possession of narcotics — disqualified her from acquiring a gun, according to court records. The documents make no mention of how, where or when she obtained the rifle.
Meanwhile, Sobel's family said Monday that her funeral would be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Montpelier, according to an obituary published in the Barre Montpelier(Vt.) Times Argus.