Vigils planned for slain Vermont social worker
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A candlelight vigil will be held Sunday evening in memory of a Department for Children and Families social worker shot to death last week.
Lara Sobel, 48, was killed outside an office in Barre for the state agency as she was leaving work Friday. Police have arrested Jody Herring, 40, as a suspect in the killing, and say a hunting rifle was the weapon used.
To honor Sobel, Gov. Peter Shumlin also ordered that all Vermont state flags at government buildings be lowered to half staff Sunday. Shumlin, Secretary of Human Services Hal Cohen and DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz will be attending the vigil in Barre on Sunday evening, a news release from Shumlin's office said.
"Lara was an extraordinary woman who ... dedicated her life to Vermont's children," Shumlin said at a news conference Saturday night. Police believe Herring killed Sobel after Herring lost custody of her 9-year-old daughter.
Shumlin's remarks came after the bodies of three others — sisters Rhonda Herring and Regina Herring, and their mother, Julie Ann Falzarano — were found dead in their Berlin home earlier Saturday. Shumlin said investigators believe the women, who were cousins and an aunt of Herring, were killed by Herring while she was on the way to take Sobel's life.
Shumlin said investigators believe the incidents were isolated and there appears to be no further threat to public safety.
Barre Police Chief Tim Bombardier said Sunday he doesn’t expect any more bodies will be found in relation to the case.
In a statement from Sobel’s family read during the Saturday news conference, the family thanked members of the community for “their kindness throughout this ordeal.”
“The family and extended family would ask that all concerned continue to respect their privacy at this time,” read Bombardier from the prepared statement. “Hopefully this terrible tragedy can create awareness and support for those dedicated professionals who devote so much of their energy to ensuring the welfare of our children.”
Sobel's co-workers and members of the Vermont State Employees Association planned Sunday's vigil. They planned to gather at Old Labor Hall in Barre at 4 p.m. ET and march to Barre Place, where Sobel was shot to death Friday. More than 150 people said they would attend through an event page on Facebook as of 2:30 p.m.
A second vigil in Woodbury will be held later Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Woodbury Lake boat launch on Vermont 14. The Facebook invitation says that Sobel lived in Woodbury from 2006 to 2011. About 55 said they will attend the Woodbury vigil, according to the event page on Facebook as of 2:30 p.m.
Ken Schatz, the commissioner for the Department for Children and Families, called Sobel's shooting "a heartbreaking tragedy." He called Sobel "an experienced social worker. She had been providing public service for children and families for more than 14 years."
Officials said that in the wake of the deaths, counseling and other support would be made available to state workers. Safety protocols will also be under review, said Human Services Secretary Cohen.
The investigation into the four deaths is ongoing, Vermont State Police said.
Herring is scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon at Vermont Superior Court in Barre on the first-degree homicide charge. It is unclear if she had a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.