Bend-area woman enters plea in shooting death of neighbor

(Update: adding comments from victim’s family; suspect’s response to lawsuit)

A Bend-area woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges in the January fatal shooting of a neighbor on McGrath Road in the Boonesborough subdivision north of Bend.

At least a dozen friends and family of victim Valerie Ann Peterson, 58, were in the courtroom for the plea hearing of Joanna Lynn Kasner, 49, who was again in a wheelchair when she appeared by video hookup from the Deschutes County Jail for the brief appearance.

Circuit Judge Stephen Forte set a six-day trial to begin on Feb. 25, 2020, and scheduled a trial readiness hearing five days earlier.

” She can plea whatever she wants, ” Sherry Franco, Peterson’s sister-in-law, said later. ” We know she’s guilty. It’s just dragging things on even longer. It’s time for our family to heal. ”

Alvina Whitman, Peterson’s younger sister, added, ” We will together make it through, we just have to wait. Justice will be served. ”

Another one of Peterson’s younger sisters, Melissa McPherson, had submitted a letter last month, asking that the judge allow no more delays in the plea entry.

Outside the courtroom Wednesday, McPherson said the not guilty plea was not what the family was hoping for, but that it at least closes one chapter and opens another.

” It’s difficult to live every day, knowing that she’s not here, and have to relive it every single time we come to court, ” she told NewsChannel 21.

“It would be nice to get it started, to get it over and finished with, so we can try and put our life back together,” McPherson said. ” A piece of our heart has been ripped out, and we can’t replace it with anybody. Nobody can replace that emptiness. ”

Kasner was indicted on seven counts, including murder, attempted murder, menacing and animal abuse relating to the Jan. 16 shooting death of Peterson, who would have turned 59 the next day.

In a letter to the court, McPherson said, ” (Valerie) was walking her two dogs, minding her own business when a senseless act killed her. ”

The plea hearing was delayed three times.

In a June 17 motion to delay the plea entry, Thomas Spear Jr., said, “…our expert needs to review a voluminous number of records (over 15 thousand pages) and interview individuals in this case and provide me with a report.”

McPherson wrote a letter to Judge Randy Miller on Aug. 10 asking why the plea hearing continues to be postponed.

” The question is why do we have to wait so long for a plea? Why delays? ” the letter in the court file states, along with a photo of the two sisters.

” We are suffering without Valerie, we come to court and then it’s delayed. It’s been seven months and no plea! We are asking that on August 28 at 1:30 that a plea be presented without delay. ”

Meanwhile, Peterson’s husband filed a $3.5 million lawsuit against Kasner in February. The lawsuit seeks damages to be decided at jury trial “but not expected to exceed $3 million” for the family’s losses, including future support and income, as well as $500,000 in noneconomic damages.

Kasner responded to the lawsuit in June, submitting a letter to the court that read, in part, ” I am disabled and have been for 26 years, I’m on Social Security for 20 years. I have nothing to offer you. However, I can and will pay $100 per month for the rest of my life. ”