Howard Dean

As Governor of Vermont, Howard Dean persistently rejected calls for an independent investigation of the slaying of Woody. When Justice for Woody and others exposed the fraudulence of the shooter exoneration report crafted by Dean's hand-picked Attorney General William Sorrell, Dean disclosed that he was "comfortable with" Sorrell's report and would not order a new inquiry. A representative of Justice for Woody handed him a copy of the the Justice for Woody report, and Dean later disclosed to the Brattleboro Reformer that he had read the analysis of Sorrell's Report in the Justice for Woody Report.

Here are some of newspaper reports detailing Dean's handling of the unfolding scandal.

1/21/02: two Windham County legislators - Reps. Michael Obuchowski, D-Rockingham, and Steve Darrow, D-Putney - said they would ask Gov. Howard Dean today to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the shooting.

1/23/02: Gov. Howard Dean has rejected request by two Windham County legislators

1/24/02: the family is calling on Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to appoint both an independent counsel to oversee the investigation

2/7/02: [Costello] called on Gov. Howard Dean to name an independent special prosecutor in the case,

3/27/02: Specifically, the group was calling upon Gov. Howard Dean to appoint an independent investigator

7/20/02: But Dean is not likely to re-open the case, according to his spokeswoman, Sue Allen.

7/27/02: He read the report and was comfortable with the findings.

7/27/02: I've read one of the analyses of the report and I thought it was very good, it was by the friends of Woody ... It is impossible for me, as someone who wasn't there, to know what went on in the church. I have a long association with the attorney general and I have an enormous amount of respect for the attorney general as a human being and as a really smart lawyer.

8/1/02: Justice for Woody members say they've collected 500 signatures on a petition to Gov. Howard Dean that calls for an independent investigation