04262011 - News Article - Man charged with killing wife with assault rifle in Portage

Man charged with killing wife with assault rifle in Portage

Post Tribune

April 26, 2011 - 5:56PM
Updated: August 4, 2011 - 4:20PM
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/5039390-418/man-charged-with-killing-wife-with-assault-rifle-in-portage.html

Fredrick Cashner. Photo provided by the Porter County sheriff's department.

VALPARAISO — When the call came in at 10:22 p.m. Sunday, the dispatcher only heard the labored breathing of someone police believe was Cynthia Cashner.

About 20 seconds into the call, after the dispatcher tried to get some response, a male voice is heard saying, "It’s too late."

Then came three or four gunshots, and the breathing stopped soon after.

The Porter County Prosecutor’s Office charged Fredrick Cashner Jr., 54, of Chesterton, with murder late Tuesday afternoon.

He’s accused of shooting his estranged wife in her herbal business eight times with an AK-47 rifle. He is being held in Porter County Jail.

The case has been assigned to Porter County Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, but no initial hearing or trial dates have been set.

Indiana statute doesn’t allow bail for murder suspects.

Police found Cynthia Cashner’s laptop computer running near her crossed legs, and a phone was near her head.

She had been staying at her business, Mystic Moon, on the second floor at 5830 U.S. 6 because of problems with her estranged husband.

She had filed for divorce on March 23.

When police arrived at Mystic Moon, they found the window on a blue security steel door smashed in.

Cynthia Cashner was found 8 feet inside the door of the business with gunshot wounds in her neck, abdomen, shoulders, left hip and both legs.

Police found eight shells casings there, and splattered blood on the wall.

Her son contacted 911 about 30 minutes later saying that Fredrick Cashner had called him, telling him he killed Cynthia and that the son should call 911.

The son tried calling Fredrick Cashner back and tried calling his mother, too, but no one answered either number.

Police checked the son’s cell phone records and found that Fredrick Cashner had called about 10:33 p.m. and the son called both numbers after that.

Portage and Porter County Sheriff officers went to Fredrick Cashner’s residence in the 300 block of East Tratebas Road in Chesterton and observed a silver pickup with a license plate registered to him and a large-screen television on inside the home, but no one answered the door.

A SWAT team surrounded the home, and Verizon confirmed that his cell phone hadn’t moved from the home in three hours.

When police secured a warrant, they communicated to him that they were entering.

Cashner then walked out and calmly stated, "What took you so long" and "I’ve been waiting for you, and there’s no problems here," according to court documents.

Police found the AK-47 with a round chambered and an extra magazine for it in the truck, as well as a hammer with blue paint that matched the security door of Mystic Moon. There were also glass shards on the floor.

Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris said the victim, 50, suffered eight gunshot wounds, including one that hit an artery in her neck. There were no stab wounds.

The autopsy was conducted Tuesday at the Marion County Coroner’s Office.