There is evil in the world. I don't mean to sound flippant or simplistic, but as long as there is evil, our world will report these things. What an uttter tragedy!
As much as we may hate Vermont for its politics it's probably one of the safest places to live. Violent crime is almost non-existant. There are no gun laws but in 30 years of living there I didn't know of anyone who carried a weapon (deer rifles excluded)