The Murder of Kenneth “Kenny” Jerome (Vermont)

Kenneth Jerome got up that summer morning in 2005 and said goodbye to his girlfriend and children, just like he did every day. He set about his usual chores on the farm, just like he always did, and he expected to feed the cows, like he had for years. But July 7th was not like every other day. Kenny’s routine was pierced by a single gunshot wound that stole him from the family, friends, and community who loved him fiercely.

Now 20 years later, no one has been charged with his murder. In this small Vermont town, suspicion has run rampant for years, but suspicion alone has yet to rise to the level of an arrest.

July 7, 2005

The morning of July 7, 2005 started out like any other for 33-year old Kenneth Jerome. Kenny, as his friends called him, was a farmhand at Diamond Hill Custom Heifers Farm in Sheldon, Vermont. According to reporting by Molly Walsh for the Burlington Free Press, Kenny helped care for over two thousand cows raised for other farmers and one of his primary duties included feeding the large herd.

Jennifer and Kenny had a 7-month old daughter together named Kaitlin. Kenny also had a strong bond with Jennifer’s daughter from her previous relationship. Both girls went with Jennifer to the barn each morning as mom took care of the calves. Jennifer and Kenny would cross paths throughout the day, just glimpses and waves across the farm.

Around 10 a.m. as Kenny set off towards the barn where hungry heifers awaited their morning feast, one of the farm’s owners, Terry Magnan, asked Kenny to catch up with him and the other farmhands when he was done to help them finish up their chores before lunch.

Jennifer saw Kenny just as she was finishing up for the morning and breaking for lunch with her daughters. As far as Jennifer remembers, that was around 11 or 11:30 a.m.

Around 12:30 that afternoon, Kenny still hadn’t returned from feeding the cows. As Leon Thompson reports for the St. Albans Messenger, Terry’s first thought was that Kenny was having some trouble with the tractor or other equipment. Seems like things were prone to break down on a working farm, but as a guy who loved tinkering with engines on his muscle cars, Kenny would’ve been well suited to deal with any issues on his own. Still, Terry, followed by his other farmhands Travis and Alex, went to go check what the hold up was.

As he approached the barn, Terry saw the tractor – still idling – but no Kenny. He thought maybe Kenny went into town to grab a part for the machinery, but that thought was quickly chased from his mind when he finally spotted him laying face down on a dirt path between the cattle feeding bunk and a patch of tall grass.

Terry ran to check on Kenny but he wasn’t breathing. Terry bolted back to his house and yelled for his wife, Joann Magnan, to call 9-1-1.

Questions raced in the minds of Terry and Joann and the other farmhands. Was this a medical event? Some sort of accident? How long was Kenny lying there? Would he be okay? As paramedics arrived at the farm and attempted life saving measures, the last question received a heartbreaking answer. Kenny wasn’t going to be okay, and it was clear why. First responders could see that Kenny had one single gunshot wound to his chest. Kenny had been shot.

With that, Vermont State Police were called to the scene to begin an investigation into Kenny’s sudden, tragic, and downright suspicious death.