NEWS

Officials: Vt. Law School student kills mother, self

Mike Donoghue
Free Press Staff Writer

A Vermont Law School student fatally shot his mother with an AK-47 assault rifle before turning the gun on himself in Amherst, N.H., authorities said.

Elizabeth Trombly, 69, died from multiple gunshot wounds, while her son John D. Trombly, 35, died from a single-gunshot, New Hampshire and Amherst Police said.

Amherst Police had been asked to stop by the home for a family welfare check Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Stacey Pawlik told the Burlington Free Press.

She said John Trombly's death was ruled a suicide and his mother's death a homicide.

Pawlik said it was not clear how long the bodies had been in the house before they were discovered.

The Vermont Law School community learned about the case in an email from VLS President Mark Mihaly on Wednesday afternoon.

"It is with regret and sadness that we inform you of the tragic death of VLS student John D. Trombly. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Trombly family. We wish them strength during this difficult time," Mihaly wrote.

The suicide follows the suicide by a popular Professor Cheryl Hanna of Burlington about a month before the start of the academic year. Hanna, 48, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The July 27 death hit the Royalton campus hard.

Mihaly appeared to make reference to Hanna's death in his comments about Trombly.

"We in the VLS community have experienced great sorrow over the last few months. And we have leaned on each other and found solace. I ask that we all continue to remember the power of a kind word or deed in lifting the spirits of our friends and colleagues during this time of grief," Mihaly said in his email.

Academic Dean Mark Latham said he was unable to talk about the Trombly case. He referred calls to VLS media spokeswoman Maryellen Apelquist, who did not return both phone and email messages.

WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H. reported Elizabeth Trombly was a reading specialist at Captain Samuel Douglass Academy in Brookline, according to Superintendent Andy Corey.

Contact Mike Donoghue at 660-1845 at freepressmedia.com. Follow Mike on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FreepsMikeD.