[T]hree relatives of a woman who is accused of shooting a state worker Friday evening were found dead in a Berlin farmhouse on Saturday morning, police say.
Jody Herring, 40, was arrested Friday night in the shooting death of Lara Sobel, a social worker for the Department for Children and Families.
Several witnesses saw Herring shoot Sobel, 48, twice with a high powered hunting rifle in a parking lot outside City Place, the new Agency of Education building in Barre, as she was leaving work at about 5 p.m. Friday.
Scott Williams, the Washington County State’s Attorney, was among a group of people who tackled Herring to the ground before police arrested her, police said. Officials would not say how many witnesses were at Friday’s scene.
Herring was allegedly seeking revenge after losing custody of her daughter, who is now in the father’s care. Sobel was involved in the case, which ultimately led to the removal of the 9-year-old from her mother’s custody.
Police say Herring will be charged with first degree murder for Sobel’s death. She is being held without bail.
Just after 8 a.m. on Saturday the bodies of three women, Herring’s cousins, Rhonda, 49, and and Regina, 48 and her aunt, Julie Ann Falzarano, 73 — were found in a farmhouse on Airport Road in Berlin.
Police believe all four women were killed by Jody Herring.
At a press conference Saturday night, Gov. Peter Shumlin had few details of events that led to the deaths of the four women, as the matter is under investigation. The governor was flanked by law enforcement officials, Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon, Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell, Ken Schatz, the commissioner of DCF, and Hal Cohen, the secretary of the Agency of Human Services.
The alleged quadruple homicide is a first for Vermont since 2001 when Douglas Provost was accused of shooting four people in Belvidere, according to the Associated Press.
“I cannot remember in my lifetime four people being murdered in Vermont by the same alleged perpetrator,” Shumlin said at a news conference Saturday night.
The governor cut his vacation to Nova Scotia a week short in order to address the crisis. Shumlin said the events on Friday were “horrific” and “heart-wrenching” and promised more details “as soon as we can.”
An investigation is ongoing, and officials have released sparse details. Police say there is no danger to the public at large.
The alleged murderer will be arraigned on Monday. The accused’s 9-year-old daughter is in the custody of the father.
Washington County State’s Attorney Scott Williams has recused himself from prosecuting the case because of his involvement in apprehending Herring outside the Department for Children and Families office on Friday night. He will serve as a witness.
The Attorney General’s office has taken over the case and will charge Jody Herring with first-degree murder for Sobel’s death. Sorell said he could not confirm what charges could be filed in the future for the deaths of Jody Herring’s three female relatives.
Matt Birmingham, colonel of the Vermont State Police, said the state received a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday from a woman reporting there were three bodies at a home on Airport Road in Berlin.
The Vermont State Police have been at the scene in Berlin ever since, Birmingham said. The Berlin Police Department is also involved in the case. Autopsies are ongoing, and officials would not confirm the official cause of death for Jody Herring’s relatives.
Shumlin said he has met with the parents of Sobel to offer his condolences. He said he would reach out to the families of Herring’s three relatives.
“Lara was an extraordinary human being who dedicated her life to children,” Shumlin said. “We have so many people in Vermont like Lara who dedicated their life to children, to the most vulnerable children.”
Hal Cohen, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, Ken Schatz, commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, and Shumlin all said they would make resources available to state employees.
“We have your back,” Shumlin said. “We care deeply. Thank you for the services that you give to Vermont that makes the state a better place.”
Washington County Mental Health Services will be at the Department for Children and Families office at 8:15 a.m. Monday, Cohen said. State workers will also have the Employee Assistance Program available to them.
Cohen said he works with “some of the most dedicated, caring” people he’s ever met, and described them as “truly heroes.”
“Lara was one of those heroes, and we will miss her,” he said.
Sobel is survived by her parents, her spouse, Tim, and two daughters. The family has requested privacy.
“At this time, the family of Tim and Lara is understandably in deep sorrow,” the family said in a statement read by Barre Police Chief Tim Bombardier. “They wish to thank everyone in the community for their kindness throughout this ordeal.
“Hopefully this terrible tragedy can create awareness and support for these dedicated professionals who devote so much energy to ensuring the welfare of our children.”
Shumlin has ordered that the Vermont state flag fly at half staff from sunrise Monday to sunset Wednesday in Sobel’s honor.
Correction, Aug. 9, 1:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this story reported that this was the first quadruple homicide in Vermont. In 2001, Douglas Provost was accused of shooting four people in Belvidere, according to the Associated Press.
