N.H. town tries to move past slaying
MONT VERNON, N.H. - Jennifer Bertrand used to let her young daughter have friends over for a camp out in the back yard. That, she said, is the way things were before.
“I don’t know if it’ll ever feel like we felt before,’’ she said last night in an interview in the gymnasium of the Mont Vernon Village School, after an hour-and-a-half-long forum held by state and local officials trying to help residents cope with the tragedy that has affected just about everyone in town.
This town has been in the national spotlight since Oct. 4, when it had its first murder. In what authorities have called a random, premeditated attack, four teenagers allegedly stormed a home and hacked 42-year-old Kim Cates to death with a machete and severely wounded her 11-year-old daughter, Jaimie.
Last night, school, police, and state leaders gathered with about 100 anxious Mont Vernon residents to discuss what happened on that night that stunned not only southern New Hampshire, but the nation as well. The audience consisted mainly of parents of school-age children. They were asked not to bring their children to the forum so they could discuss methods of talking to children about what occurred.
“We truly have gone through a crisis,’’ said Mary Jennings, superintendent of schools. “But we need to come together to share information and get some help from professionals who have been through this before.’’
Since the slaying, residents - who previously left their keys in their cars and didn’t bother to lock their doors - have been left shaken and angry. The answers to who could have committed such a crime came quickly.
Four teenagers from a nearby community were arrested in the attack and slaying. Steven Spader, 17, and Christopher Gribble, 19, were charged with first-degree murder, and William Marks, 18, and Quinn Glover, 17, face charges of burglary, robbery, and conspiracy.
All that remains is the healing.
Parents are still scared. Bertrand, holding back tears, said she just wished things could go back to the way they were before murder came to Mont Vernon.
“Mont Vernon is really a special place, and I’m proud to live in this community,’’ Bertrand, a mother of four, said, adding that she was hopeful but uncertain that things could ever feel like they did just a few weeks ago in the town of 2,000 residents.
Paul Deignan, the New Hampshire director of homeland security and emergency management, offered slides and tips on how parents can talk to their children.
“It’s OK to cry or talk about your own fears,’’ said Deignan. “You know your children best. All I would say is be honest, and be prepared to answer [children’s] questions over and over again.’’
Deignan stressed the importance of honesty, family togetherness, and even proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise as ways to speed the healing process.
“What can I do to help?’’ asked Andrea Baver, a school parent who suggested the town form a concerned citizens group to aid the schools.
Deignan applauded the parents’ wishes to get more involved with their children’s education, and suggested that a concerned citizens committee would be “empowering.’’
“This is an anomaly, if you will, for this community,’’ said Police Chief Kyle Aspinwall. “I want to assure you that you’re still living in the same place that you were living three weeks ago. This is a safe community, and I don’t think we have any reason to be fearful of any similar events occurring again.’’
Aspinwall did say he was making revisions to the police department’s budget for next year to increase patrols, which will be up to Town Meeting voters to approve early next year.
John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com. 
