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INSIDE: Prosecutor Profile 2 Major Case Convictions 3 Special Dog Unit 4 Justice After Twenty Years 5 Plea in Drunken Crash 7 Message from DA Tim Harris 8 S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 "The real significance of crime is in its being a breach of faith with the community of mankind.” ~ Joseph Conrad T I M H A R R I S T U L S A C O U N T Y D I S T R I C T A T T O R N E Y Husband Convicted in Murder of Lori Moon Kastner P rosecutors called it a Trial about Truth. Lori Moon Kastner was a devoted wife, mother and held a prestigious job as attorney for the Oklahoma Supreme Court. She and husband John Kastner, a teacher and coach at Webster High School, regularly entertained faculty at their home after events at the school. To outsiders, it seemed that the couple, who met at the University of Tulsa and married 24 years ear-lier, were happy with their modest lifestyle and enjoyed the small-town atmosphere of their West Tulsa neighborhood. In fact, Coach “K” later told police, he was something of a “folk hero” at Webster. In the spring of 2008, friends, co-workers and relatives were told by Kastner that the family’s lives were all about to change drastically. That much was true, but almost nothing else he said was. In fact, Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler called Kastner a “bald-faced liar” who lied to his wife, his father and friends for 20 years. Assistant DA Doug Drum-mond told jurors “Kastner was a ticking time bomb” whose world was unraveling. Kastner had told everyone he was coming into money – millions inher-ited from his father, he told some, even though the man was not dead. He told others the money was a reward for his heroic efforts in the Israeli Defense Forces, claiming he saved a government official in a bus bombing. After a five-week family trip to Is-rael, he said Lori would be paid millions to run an Israeli company – the 713 Corporation which he had founded. It would be easy work she could do from home and the family would never need to worry about finances again, according to Kastner. that problems will cure them-selves. Unfortunately, time has not slowed, stopped or gone backward. There is no next week.” June 22 or 23: Kastner test-fires gun outside house at 3 am. June 23: Meeting to sign “contracts” with coaches to purchase equipment for Web-ster cancelled; Coach “K” ill. June 24: Meeting with coaches cancelled again, rescheduled for morning of June 25. June 24: Lori and children pack for next day’s trip on private jet to Israel. June 25: Kastner calls police at 4 am. Lori shot twice in the head – while in bed. Tells police an intruder came into the house and shot her - with the gun he bought eight days earlier, and left with $5,000 cash he had left on a dining room table. Kastner was shot in the hand. He said he was injured while struggling with the intruder over the gun. The truth, Assistant DAs Drum-mond and Kunzweiler told jurors: There never was an Israel trip He was never in the military 713 Corporation did not exist Kastner was $150,000 in debt There was no “intruder.” The “Legend” of Webster was about to be exposed as a fraud. With his all-important reputation ruined and his world collapsing, he executed the woman who had sacrificed everything for him, as she lay sleeping in bed. In one sense, Kastner’s prognostication had come true: the whole family’s lives would never be the same again. A jury convicted KASTNER of FIRST-DEGREE MURDER in Sep-tember and sentenced him to LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE. In May, Lori quit her $87,000-a-year job, which “bewildered” her boss, Supreme Court Justice Tho-mas Colbert. The justice de-scribed Lori as “brilliant” and said he tried to discourage her from quitting. He told jurors he was certain that Lori sincerely be-lieved her husband and all his fantastic tales. In mid-May, Kastner gave a “farewell speech” at Webster’s athletic banquet, announcing he would share his wealth, promising to donate millions to the school, principal and coaches as incen-tives to improve. But his rambling speech publicly lambasted school administrators and announced that his friend and fellow coach Jim Harper would resign if he didn’t win a certain amount of games the next year. “I went numb, when I heard that,” Harper testified. May 15: Principal admonishes him for speech. June 17: Kastner buys gun. June 20: Job in jeopardy. June 22: Kastner writes: “Wow. Intense pressure. She was right. I do put things off hoping In Pursuit of Justice V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 3 Lori Moon Kastner, 44, was shot to death June 25, 2008
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Title | V3_3_summer10 1 |
Full text | INSIDE: Prosecutor Profile 2 Major Case Convictions 3 Special Dog Unit 4 Justice After Twenty Years 5 Plea in Drunken Crash 7 Message from DA Tim Harris 8 S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 "The real significance of crime is in its being a breach of faith with the community of mankind.” ~ Joseph Conrad T I M H A R R I S T U L S A C O U N T Y D I S T R I C T A T T O R N E Y Husband Convicted in Murder of Lori Moon Kastner P rosecutors called it a Trial about Truth. Lori Moon Kastner was a devoted wife, mother and held a prestigious job as attorney for the Oklahoma Supreme Court. She and husband John Kastner, a teacher and coach at Webster High School, regularly entertained faculty at their home after events at the school. To outsiders, it seemed that the couple, who met at the University of Tulsa and married 24 years ear-lier, were happy with their modest lifestyle and enjoyed the small-town atmosphere of their West Tulsa neighborhood. In fact, Coach “K” later told police, he was something of a “folk hero” at Webster. In the spring of 2008, friends, co-workers and relatives were told by Kastner that the family’s lives were all about to change drastically. That much was true, but almost nothing else he said was. In fact, Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler called Kastner a “bald-faced liar” who lied to his wife, his father and friends for 20 years. Assistant DA Doug Drum-mond told jurors “Kastner was a ticking time bomb” whose world was unraveling. Kastner had told everyone he was coming into money – millions inher-ited from his father, he told some, even though the man was not dead. He told others the money was a reward for his heroic efforts in the Israeli Defense Forces, claiming he saved a government official in a bus bombing. After a five-week family trip to Is-rael, he said Lori would be paid millions to run an Israeli company – the 713 Corporation which he had founded. It would be easy work she could do from home and the family would never need to worry about finances again, according to Kastner. that problems will cure them-selves. Unfortunately, time has not slowed, stopped or gone backward. There is no next week.” June 22 or 23: Kastner test-fires gun outside house at 3 am. June 23: Meeting to sign “contracts” with coaches to purchase equipment for Web-ster cancelled; Coach “K” ill. June 24: Meeting with coaches cancelled again, rescheduled for morning of June 25. June 24: Lori and children pack for next day’s trip on private jet to Israel. June 25: Kastner calls police at 4 am. Lori shot twice in the head – while in bed. Tells police an intruder came into the house and shot her - with the gun he bought eight days earlier, and left with $5,000 cash he had left on a dining room table. Kastner was shot in the hand. He said he was injured while struggling with the intruder over the gun. The truth, Assistant DAs Drum-mond and Kunzweiler told jurors: There never was an Israel trip He was never in the military 713 Corporation did not exist Kastner was $150,000 in debt There was no “intruder.” The “Legend” of Webster was about to be exposed as a fraud. With his all-important reputation ruined and his world collapsing, he executed the woman who had sacrificed everything for him, as she lay sleeping in bed. In one sense, Kastner’s prognostication had come true: the whole family’s lives would never be the same again. A jury convicted KASTNER of FIRST-DEGREE MURDER in Sep-tember and sentenced him to LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE. In May, Lori quit her $87,000-a-year job, which “bewildered” her boss, Supreme Court Justice Tho-mas Colbert. The justice de-scribed Lori as “brilliant” and said he tried to discourage her from quitting. He told jurors he was certain that Lori sincerely be-lieved her husband and all his fantastic tales. In mid-May, Kastner gave a “farewell speech” at Webster’s athletic banquet, announcing he would share his wealth, promising to donate millions to the school, principal and coaches as incen-tives to improve. But his rambling speech publicly lambasted school administrators and announced that his friend and fellow coach Jim Harper would resign if he didn’t win a certain amount of games the next year. “I went numb, when I heard that,” Harper testified. May 15: Principal admonishes him for speech. June 17: Kastner buys gun. June 20: Job in jeopardy. June 22: Kastner writes: “Wow. Intense pressure. She was right. I do put things off hoping In Pursuit of Justice V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 3 Lori Moon Kastner, 44, was shot to death June 25, 2008 |
Date created | 2012-08-24 |
Date modified | 2012-08-24 |