Tulsa World: Suspect made big promises

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Suspect made big promises

By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer
Published: 6/28/2008 2:10 AM
Last Modified: 6/28/2008 12:28 PM

Slide Show: Watch a slide show and listen to audio from the police press conference after the arrest.

Document: Read the police affidavit against John Kastner. Editor's note: Graphic material is included.

He had pledged to fund several causes, including an endowment fund, at Webster High School.

For nearly 20 years, John Kastner had been known as a helpful teacher, coach and co-worker at Webster High School.

But recently he offered help of another kind: cash.

And

lots of it.

From new football equipment, bonus incentives for coaches and driver's education to a multimillion-dollar boost for academics, Kastner had pledged his benevolence to many causes at the west Tulsa high school where he has worked for 18 years and where his children were to attend.

As recently as Friday, Kastner had visited with school and district officials about setting up a "gifts and endowment fund" as a means of pumping more than $2 million of his future wealth into Webster over the next few years, said Tulsa Public Schools spokeswoman Tami Marler.

Principal Phil Garland had seen promises of donations come and go during his many years as a school administrator, so he was skeptical but hopeful about Kastner's promises, Marler said.

"Mr. Garland said his attitude was he'll believe it when he has the check in his hand — because of his own personality and from his own experience," Marler said, speaking for Garland, who declined to be interviewed.

Kastner had gotten a little crossways with school administrators in May after he brazenly announced at Webster's annual athletic banquet a pledge to award football coach Jim Harper $100,000 if he wins at least five football games in the fall.

The problem was that booster funds can't be used to pay employee stipends or bonuses, Marler said.

"Mr. Kastner made a speech at Webster's sports banquet on May 13 that school administrators deemed inappropriate for that setting. Principal Phil Garland and Mr. Kastner had been discussing it off and on through Friday, June 20," Marler said.

A police affidavit filed Friday in Tulsa County District Court states that school officials had already hired additional coaches because they were "relying on financial promises" made by Kastner, but Marler said that is untrue.

"Many people were interviewed by police. There could have been people who believed that happened, but that did not happen," she said.

Webster administrators had, in fact, approved a donation of $80,000 to $90,000 from Kastner for new football equipment, but the equipment had not yet been bought.

Kastner also said he would give $75,000 to $100,000 to pay for driver's education at Webster in 2008-09 and would set up a foundation that would disburse $2 million for Webster academics over three years.

He showed up for a meeting about the foundation with Garland on Friday, but a woman from out of state who Kastner said was going to run the foundation didn't show up for the meeting.

Marler said Garland told Kastner to contact his supervisor, Area Superintendent Brad Schoeppey, about the matter in the future, but that to her knowledge, no other meetings had been scheduled.

Kastner left a voice mail message for a Tulsa World education reporter on Monday, saying he wanted to report instances of "cheating" on student attendance and graduation rates, as well as "illegal athletes" on sports teams.

He said in his message that he had been "admonished" and recently "lost" his duties as a coach and athletic director at Webster High School, although he did not specify why.

Marler said Kastner had voluntarily stepped down as co-athletic director but had been expected to continue on as an English teacher with extra-duty assignments as the cross-country and track coach and assistant baseball coach.

The slaying of Lori Kastner and subsequent arrest of her husband shocked and saddened the Webster school community, Marler said.

"Mrs. Kastner attended the sports banquet; so many people had spoken to her there. She was very well-liked and regarded. Coach Kastner was very devoted to Webster and the children at Webster, and he was close to a lot of people that he worked with," Marler said. "He donated a lot of his time there volunteering for a lot of things. He helped author the school's site improvement plan, and Mr. Garland credits him with helping to boost Webster's test scores."

Kastner's co-workers also were anticipating the arrival of the Kastners' oldest biological child, a son named Fraser, as a freshman at Webster in August, Marler said.

Andrea Eger 581-8470
andrea.eger@tulsaworld.com By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Kevin, (6/28/2008 4:06:41 AM) Guy is a nut
	Report Comment oldrustytulsa, (6/28/2008 4:16:29 AM) Kinda makes you wonder why, I guess its the world we live in now days? Used to be, these kinda folks, got weeded out pretty quickly,Its sad. but with out faith, and discipline of character,always out front in our face,We got to Turn the music down,,return to a simpler time, and a quieter way of life ,To many crazies out there.
	Report Comment Bill_Robison, (6/28/2008 5:47:11 AM) Unfortunately, there are too many crazies out HERE. Gone are the times when we (the decent) could stay clear of "out there" where the dangers are. "THEY" have dug into every aspect of society and are "HERE" to stay. Keep your powder dry.
	Report Comment Graychin, Eucha (6/28/2008 8:52:54 AM) "For nearly 20 years, John Kastner had been known as a helpful teacher, coach and co-worker at Webster High School." Did he used to seem relatively sane? If so, I think he should be checked for a brain tumor. Did Kastner ever actually contribute any significant money at all? How did he supposedly accumulate his "wealth" on the salary of a high school coach? If the school district relied only on Kastner's big talk, they were fools.
	Report Comment sue_okc, (6/28/2008 10:58:36 AM) I agree with Graychin about a brain disorder explaining a previously stable person making these sort of outlandish claims. Either he has a brain tumor, has had a stroke, or he has undiagnosed bi-polar disorder (with a manic episode perhaps triggered by use of antidepressants).
	Report Comment Sid, (6/28/2008 11:30:46 AM) Yes-read the police report. The guy is insane.
	Report Comment barbobot24, (6/28/2008 5:15:16 PM) When someone starts implicating that they are coming into large amounts of money, BEWARE! How could this have gone so far without anyone knowing what a con artist he was!
	Report Comment okie rigerunner, chetopa (6/28/2008 9:29:29 PM) To be insane you can not know right from wrong. but you can be mentally ill and know right from wrong. no treatment and both are dangerous. we live around a lot of both and don`t know who they are. and the states have closed the state hospitals like eastern state at vinita, and turned thousands loose. they need treatment. they waste millons of dollars. but they will not spend the money to protect the public from people like this and get treatment for the ones that need it. not all the people like this are living under bridges or walking our streets down town or living in homeless shelters. a lot of them are working with or around you. some are living close to you. some you even like and talk too. you just never know untill they do something. our state hospitals really helped. but the goverment wanted that money for something else.
	Report Comment thedomesticgodess, eufaula (6/29/2008 6:53:46 AM) this story gets crazier every day...
	Report Comment Crazy, Tulsa (6/29/2008 11:24:26 PM) I always wondered how you can be insane but sane enough to plan out a murder. Go buy the gun, practiced shooting it and it sounds like he drugged his wife and kids, shoot the wife, shoot yourself in the hand then call the police. I think if you can do all that think you are not insane. Maybe a cold blooded, lying s.o.b. but not insane. People don't see what they don't want to. I just don't understand how his wife didn't see the crazinest in him.
	Report Comment vitaltulsan, tulsa (6/30/2008 12:25:22 AM) ok did no one think it was weird that the "bent" individual started talking about how he had millions coming to him and he was going to donate and they were actually relying on this. seriously people way to go TPS
	Report Comment lisamorrisonchurch, brandon (6/30/2008 6:46:44 AM) Coach Kastner was my Track and Cross Country coach for 4 years in HS. I had the pleasure of knowing his wife as well and both, especially Coach K made a really positive impact on my life. I looked at him as a father figure. I know that when I was in school at Webster in 1994 he was a caring and compassionate mentor and teacher...I am so sorry that he may have become so sick that he would feel the only way out of his situation was to murder. I pray that Lori's family and children may one day find peace through this tragic event. I believe in forgiveness, and will not turn my back on Coach Kastner, guilty or innocent. I remember him saying to his team something like "Throughout your life there may be times when you think that you cannot get over a particular hurdle , when that happens, just think about running Cow Bell Hill, and you'll realize that if you were able to make it through that hurdle you can make it through anything." I have carried that with me ever since. It sounds as though he may have forgotten. Peace.
	Report Comment Mr. Rowland, (6/30/2008 9:53:45 AM) seems like he thought he was going to get a very huge life insurance check...

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