Court hears from witnesses in Herring murders

"She was jumping around the parking lot, swinging the rifle around," witness Karlyn Sizemore testified in court Monday.

After pleading guilty to four counts of murder, a calm and quiet Jody Herring sat in court and listened to multiple witnesses of her deadly 2015 shooting spree recount the moment she shot Department for Children and Families social worker Lara Sobel.

"It had to do with her 9-year-old daughter, that everybody got what they deserved. They didn't listen to her side of the story," Sizemore said.

Prosecutors say Herring first targeted her own family members, shooting and killing her aunt, Julie Ann Folzorano, and two cousins, Rhonda and Regina Herring. The daughter of one of those cousins testified that the day before the shootings, Herring left them a voicemail and alluded to her rampage.

"I heard Jody Herring saying, 'Rhonda, Regina, you might want to [expletive] stop calling DCF or I'm going to come shoot your brains out,'" Tiffany Herring-Flint testified.

Jody Herring's ex-boyfriend, Henry Premont, also told the court of violent threats she made after losing custody of her daughter.

Vt. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Levine: Do you recall Jody Herring making statements to the effect that people are going to pay, there's going to be an Armageddon?

Henry Premont: There were statements made, yes.

The final victim of her "Armageddon" was Sobel, who Herring gunned down in a downtown Barre parking lot. Her rage continued verbally, even after she fired two fatal shots.

"She seemed to be yelling at Lara Sobel," witness Jacob Graves said.

Bystanders confronted Herring. One of them was Washington County State's Attorney Scott Williams.

Vt. Assistant Attorney General Evan Meenan: Did you see how he had come into possession of the gun?

Karlyn Sizemore: She had laid it down.

As the state finished testimony of the violence, Herring's defense called witnesses who said the admitted killer battled her own mental health after trauma within her family, including suffering seizures after the unexpected death of her dad.

"After losing her daughter, she just was getting worse and worse," said Sandra Herring, Jody Herring's aunt.

Jody Herring has already pleaded guilty through a plea deal. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole. Testimony will continue Tuesday.