The Vermont woman convicted of killing three of her family members and a state social worker in 2015 was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday.
Jody Herring pleaded guilty to murder charges in July, and the prosecution and the victims' families were pushing for the judge to sentence Herring to life in prison without any possibility of release, according to Seven Days reporter Mark Davis.
When the decision was announced Wednesday, Davis says there was a clear reaction from victims' family members in the courtroom.
"There was actually some clapping and tears, I think, of happiness on their part when the sentence was read. It was a really emotional day and this is what they were seeking all along," Davis says.
Life in prison without parole is the harshest possible sentence in Vermont.
Seven Days reporter Mark Davis spoke with VPR's Henry Epp. Listen to their conversation above.
