Vt. mother accused of killing social worker arraigned
BARRE, Vt. -- A Vermont woman has pleaded not guilty to charges that she gunned down a social worker after losing custody of her 9-year-old daughter.
Forty-year-old Jody Herring was ordered held without bail on Monday. Police say she shot Lara Sobel twice as the social worker left the Department for Children and Families (DCF) building in Barre on Friday.
Court documents released Monday say Herring was calm and laughing after the shooting.
Police also believe she shot three of her family members to death before killing Sobel. The bodies of Herring's cousins, Rhonda and Regina Herring, and their mother, Julie Ann Falzarano, were discovered Saturday at their home in Berlin.
Herring is charged with first-degree murder. No charges have yet been filed in the deaths of her relatives, but charges are expected in those killings, reports WCAX.
The Burlington Free Press reported that Tiffany Herring, 23, who identified herself as the daughter of one of the victims, said her mother had received a threatening phone call from Jody Herring on Friday morning, in which Jody Herring told her, "You guys need to stop calling DCF...you guys are going to have it coming to you."
Tiffany Herring said she discovered the women's bodies.
Witnesses spotted Jody Herring waiting in her car in the rear parking lot of the DCF building shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, reports WCAX, citing court documents. Video surveillance showed Herring getting out of her car, shouldering the rifle and walking to the rear of the building, reports the station.
Witnesses reportedly say she shot Sobel twice -- the second time at close range -- with a Remington model 700 .270 rifle.
Washington County States' Attorney Scott Williams, who was nearby and heard the shots, saw Herring standing near Sobel's body still holding the .270-caliber hunting rifle, police said in the court documents. He wrested the gun away from Herring with the help of other bystanders and held her until authorities arrived, according to WCAX.
When police arrived, Herring was "very calm and laughing," an affidavit said. Later on, she was still talking about the shooting "like it was no big deal," officers said.
Police say earlier in the afternoon, Herring had called her brother and left two messages on his phone to warn him, reports the station. The first message said: "If you think anything of your sister, you'll get a hold of me now or ASAP."
In a second message, she reportedly said, "Watch the news, you'll wish you got a hold of me earlier."
Court documents say 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.
Herring was ordered held without bail.