According to authorities, Honoree Fleming, 77, died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the medical examiner deemed the incident a homicide. Vermont State Police are asking the public, businesses and hunters in the region surrounding Vermont State University’s Castleton campus to investigate their security cameras and CCTV footage for any information that could lead to the suspect’s capture.
A suspect, described as a 5-foot-10 Caucasian man with short dark hair and wearing a grey t-shirt and a black rucksack, was observed near the crime site after gunshots were fired. The Delaware and Hudson Railroad route where Fleming’s body was discovered is only a mile from the university’s Castleton campus, where she formerly worked.
Fleming was characterised as a “beloved teacher” who will be “greatly missed” at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus. Fleming was also the wife of Ron Powers, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and nonfiction writer. Powers and Fleming had two boys, one of whom tragically committed suicide before his 21st birthday in 2005.
The author was candid about the couple’s two children’s schizophrenia. Powers called the railway route where his wife was discovered dead his “favourite” place to walk. ‘There is a raid over the area seeking for his killer,’ Powers wrote on Facebook on Friday.
👉 For more insights, check out this resource.
The police believe it was a random act, but all possibilities remain.’ Due to the incident, the Castleton campus was closed on Friday, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for those affected.
In a Facebook post, Powers delivered the ‘sad news’ with her friends: ‘To my friends: I have heartbreaking news. The beloved honoree was shot and assassinated while strolling along her favourite trail near the campus on Thursday afternoon.The killer shot her in the side of the head, possibly twice, and then walked away. She perished in an instant.
👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.
‘Dean and I are… well, you know what I mean. Dean’s typical pharmaceutical regimen keeps him steady, and he has his best friend beside him. Outside, they have a little fire pit. As for me, I’m still stunned. ‘There are times when I wish I could cry to God. That is something I will do. I’ll make a post about it.
More information will be posted as it becomes available. And I shall write as much as I possibly can about my beloved Honoree. ‘Those of you who knew her will recall that she had a lovely name. I’ve never met somebody with a more wonderful heart and soul than hers. She has stolen far more than half of my heart and soul with her.’Honoured.
I’m sure the majority of you want to write. (Please do not call). Please accept that I will be unable to react to you individually for some time. And please, no emojis to disrespect her radiant essence.
“It is with deep sadness that we have learned that Honoree Fleming, Ph.D., 77, retired dean of Education in Castleton, was the victim of homicide on the D&H Rail Trail in Castleton, one mile from the campus he called home,” the institution said in a statement.
The recipient was a member of the Castleton community and was well-liked by faculty, staff, and students. ‘Dr. Fleming’s courses and research impacted dozens of pupils. Prior to joining Castleton, he taught at Trinity College, Middlebury College, and Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine.
The honoree lived in Castleton with her husband, Pulitzer Prize laureate and New York Times bestselling novelist Ron Powers. ‘Our hearts go out to the folks of our community who have suffered.
‘Our hearts go out to the individuals of our community who worked with Honoree and considered her a valued instructor during her tenure at Castleton. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, Ron, as well as her family and friends.This is a terrible tragedy for the Castleton campus and for Vermont State University as a whole. “The honoree will be deeply missed.”
