On October 12, 2020, Julie Fandino, a 51-year-old Caucasian woman from Barre, Vermont, tragically died as a result of domestic violence. Her life was taken by her former boyfriend, Jeffrey Strock, a 58-year-old part-time police officer with the Berlin Police Department. The incident, which culminated in a murder-suicide, took place on the back porch of Fandino's residence at 84 Websterville Road in Barre.
The events of that Monday afternoon unfolded when Strock, while on duty, drove his
police cruiser to Fandino's home. He used his. 45-caliber duty pistol to shoot Fandino multiple times before taking his own life with a single gunshot. Their bodies were discovered at approximately 2:20 p.m. by Fandino's landlord, who noticed the parked police cruiser and investigated, promptly calling 911.
Investigations by the Vermont State Police revealed a history of a tumultuous on-and-off relationship between Fandino and Strock that had lasted for about six years. The relationship had reportedly ended in December 2019, after which Strock married another woman. However, he and his wife had since separated, and he was attempting to rekindle his relationship with Fandino. She had reportedly "shut off" communication with him about a month prior to the fatal encounter. It is believed that Strock went to her home that day in an attempt to reconcile, an effort that ended in tragedy.
In the aftermath, further details emerged about Strock's behavior leading up to the murder-suicide. A fellow officer later reported that Strock had been emotionally distressed over the breakup and had even spoken about shooting Fandino and himself a month before the incident. This revelation led to a lawsuit filed by Fandino's children against the Town of Berlin and its police department, alleging negligence and failure to protect their mother from a preventable crime. The lawsuit asserted that Strock's colleagues were aware of his instability. Fandino herself had expressed fear of Strock to a neighbor, though she did not obtain a restraining order.
