Murder in Mont Vernon (violent crime, home, living)

[darylyh]

Since Mont Vernon is one of the 2 towns we're looking at for our move next summer, this developing story caught my attention this morning.

Woman murdered, child hurt in Mont Vernon

Mont Vernon appears to be an extremely safe town, and the UCR through 2005 show no violent crime at all. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

UCR Mont Vernon

Thus, this will no doubt be a real shock to this small community.

[jakiedoodle]

It just goes to show, that unfortunately, this can happen ANYWHERE. It doesn't matter how "safe" a town may seem, these tragedies aren't just happening in larger towns or cities. They do happen right in our back yards.
So sad. : (
I hope that everyone touched by this is doing ok.

[CaseyB]

I guess I'm overly suspicious, but something is just not right about this...

[darylyh]

Casey I agree with you. Something's seriously awry here (even more so than the obvious "not right"-ness of homicide).

The police have issued a statement now as well (link), but it doesn't say much more than the Union Leader story.

Editing to add: jakiedoodle, you're right. Horrible things happen everywhere, and this is highly unlikely to affect my (or anyone else's) very positive view of Mont Vernon overall. It's worth mentioning, though, that this particular crime would make the news even in large urban areas like mine.

[MovedfromFL]

What a tragedy. The article said the husband was away on a business trip. It could have been a burglary gone wrong (perhaps the men knew the woman was home alone). Another angle is someone who had a grudge against the man & decided to target his family.

In any case, as a woman with small children, I am very upset to read something like this.

Is anywhere safe these days? Things are really out of control all over, IMO. We had a serial killer in my town here in north Georgia a few years ago. I get nervous during the day when our dogs start barking because I am home alone with our kids. In fact, our power went out last night at 3AM (the fan I use for white noise stopped and I woke up). All kinds of scary ideas went through my head while I fumbled around in the dark for a flash light.

I hope the police find the men responsible for this and bring them to justice before they can harm someone else.

[jakiedoodle]

I read the statement Daryl...doesn't really say too much, you're right. They're very tight-lipped about it. I understand they don't have much to go on right now, but that doesn't make people who live in the area feel any better !

I hope the police find these suspect(s) soon and piece together what happened!

[GregW]

Be aware, be alert, be armed. Use some kind of alarm system, wake up fast, keep a gun withing reach that you know how to use. The first rule of defending yourself is to be willing to do it.

[sgthoskins]

Originally Posted by GregW

Be aware, be alert, be armed. Use some kind of alarm system, wake up fast, keep a gun withing reach that you know how to use. The first rule of defending yourself is to be willing to do it.

[CrazyDave]

Originally Posted by GregW

Be aware, be alert, be armed. Use some kind of alarm system, wake up fast, keep a gun withing reach that you know how to use. The first rule of defending yourself is to be willing to do it.

The hardest part for me about being pro gun ownership I realize that there are a great many people out there ( myself included) who should not own guns. Which is why I personally will not take all of your advice, I know the possibility of me using a gun in the heat of passion so I will not own one. But for those who can keep a cool head yes GO GET YOURSELF A WEAPON. Learn to use it, learn to use it well. Hone your skills and reflexes. Make up a course if you can where you must quickly choose between a potential threat and a non threat. Widen your scope of possible threats. Learn to think outside the stereotypical. Some of the nastiest sickest criminals wear suits, and are clean shaven, even handsome..or pretty.

BE AWARE at ALL times.Never assume that a place or situation is safe. Look for escape routes, look for vulnerabilities , look for things that can be used as weapons. If you must defend yourself, go all out, go on the attack make a victim out of the predator.

LOCK your doors. Yes most locks are a flimsy line of defense, but they can give you a warning, and yes many of those bad people are simply scavengers looking for easy pickings and some shy away even at a flimsy lock, but given the opportunity through easy entry they may be emboldened to do more harm then originally intended, perhaps violently.

If like me you feel you cannot trust yourself with a weapon, consider a knife. I always carry, it's always legal ( the knife size that is ). Keep it sharp and in good order. Practice with it regularly, just like you would with a gun.

BE CONFIDENT NOT PARANOID. I believe lowlifes are just like dogs, they can sense fear, the can also sense confidence. Remember, they are watching too, they are looking for weaknesses,determining how they can catch their prey off guard, if they see you looking back at them, not in fear, but in confident awareness of your situation, they may just move on to someone else and if you note that you might just be able to help someone else in the process.

Women are going to hate me for this one, but ladies you have to understand it is true. Dress like a you know what in public, you attract attention, and not the kind you want. Stay out in bars late at night getting drunk, even after your closet, safest group of friends finally leave you because you simply refuse to go and you are setting yourself up as some nutcases next victim.

Should you have the freedom to dress as you like? Absolutely. Should you be able to decide for yourself that you want to be alone and drunk? Sure thing! The reality though is you can't, not without putting a sign on yourself that reads, COME GET ME!

There will always be crime, in fact it's only going to get worse. That doesn't mean you have to just sit there and wait to become a statistic nor doe's it mean living out your life in fear. I doe's however mean using some common sense.

[MovedfromFL]

Originally Posted by GregW

Be aware, be alert, be armed. Use some kind of alarm system, wake up fast, keep a gun withing reach that you know how to use. The first rule of defending yourself is to be willing to do it.

We can't really keep a gun within reach when we have two small children running around. The alarm system is a great idea, but who would think you needed it somewhere like Mont Vernon?