This story was written by Kevin O’Connor with reporting by Randolph T. Holhut, Jeff Potter and Robert F. Smith of The Commons, a Windham County weekly.
BRATTLEBORO — The crime began and ended Monday. The court arraignment concluded Tuesday. But for residents shocked by this week’s violent death of a local social worker, questions linger.
“There’s a wish we have when the unthinkable and tragic happens like this — to find a simple answer,” said Kurt White, vice president of outpatient programs at the state’s largest psychiatric hospital, the Brattleboro Retreat. “But this is not really that kind of thing. These are complicated and complex problems, and there are not simple answers.”
And so, many southeastern Vermonters are struggling to process the death of Leah Rosin-Pritchard, a 36-year-old Westminster West resident and coordinator of Brattleboro’s Morningside House shelter.
Rosin-Pritchard arrived Monday and met with resident Zaaina Asra Zakirrah Mahvish-Jammeh, who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of first-degree murder after allegedly killing her social worker with an ax she bought Saturday.
“We anticipate the fundamental part of the tragedy of this story will be difficult and upsetting for many readers — it was for us,” The Commons, a Windham County weekly newspaper, reported on Wednesday’s front page.
Rosin-Pritchard made a living as a baker, coach, landscaper and business consultant before earning a bachelor’s degree in social work from Rhode Island College in 2019 and a master’s with a certificate in disaster and collective trauma from Tulane University in 2020, her resume states.
“Beginning my second career in social work, I believe in implementing all I have learned thus far and integrating my skills in a space where I can be of service to the community,” she wrote on her LinkedIn page.
In a written statement, the nonprofit Groundworks Collaborative that runs the shelter called Rosin-Pritchard “irreplaceable.”
“She was a wonderfully strong, positive, beautiful and compassionate person who gave generously of her spirit and skills in support of all Morningside House residents and her professional colleagues,” the nonprofit said. “There are no words to express the depth of loss felt by her Groundworks teammates.”
‘A very traumatic experience for many’
In Windham District Court on Tuesday, a judge called for the defendant in the killing to undergo a mental health evaluation, stating “she is a danger to others and potentially to herself.”
White said the Brattleboro Retreat began talking with Groundworks almost a decade ago about how to address the mental health needs of people using the shelter system.
The two organizations have since teamed with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and Health Care and Rehabilitation Services to form a new collaboration, Healthworks ACT, for people facing homelessness, lack of primary medical care, mental health issues or substance use problems.
“It’s a form of assertive community therapy,” said Karl Jeffries, the Retreat’s chief medical officer. “That is, going out and working with people in the community who need these services instead of waiting for them to come to us.”
“Things are actually getting more serious,” added White, a clinical social worker at the Retreat for nearly 20 years. “With mental health, physical health problems, substance abuse, domestic violence and other factors, there are always a variety of complex issues.”
But Retreat leaders cautioned against linking Monday’s killing to a mental health concern.
“Research has shown that the largest percentage of violence is from people who are not dealing with mental health issues,” Jeffries said. “It’s certainly a misconception in the community that the two are linked. That contributes to the stigma that people faced with mental health issues have to deal with.”
This week’s homicide is the fourth in Brattleboro in the past year, following one in July 2022 on Elliot Street, a second in August 2022 on Putney Road and a third March 30 on Birge Street that’s still under investigation.
Brattleboro Selectboard Chair Ian Goodnow addressed the two latest deaths by opening Tuesday’s board meeting with a moment of silence.
“This is a very traumatic experience for many people in our community,” Goodnow said. “My hope is that we can keep working together with resilience and continuous improvement for a future where these types of deaths no longer happen.”
The shelter, which has temporarily relocated its residents, is across the street from the 166-unit Morningside Commons condominium compound.
“Everybody over there has always been kind and respectful, and I’ve never had an issue as long as I’ve been here,” 35-year condominium neighbor Carol Aydelotte said. “I read stuff on social media and as soon as something happens, people start hate-mongering and bashing. And, you know, it just makes me mad, because I feel like everybody deserves a second chance.”
Aydelotte fears the attack could harm the shelter’s future.
“And then, what do these people have?” she said.
