Eugene woman gets 20 years for fatal stabbing of man she lived with 

A 65-year-old Eugene woman was sentenced Friday, Nov. 21, to 20 years in prison after the fatal stabbing of a man described in court by her defense attorney as a “platonic life partner.”

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Cynthia Christine Fletcher pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to first-degree manslaughter in the fatal March stabbing of 63-year-old David James Valentine.

Defense attorney Zara Lukens said Fletcher and Valentine both had “drinking problems,” and that for some 40 years the pair had a platonic relationship.

“They were a team for a very long time,” Lukens said.

About the stabbing, “she was very intoxicated at the time this occurred,” Lukens said.

Fletcher does not remember what took place, Lukens said.

“There’s no explanation in her mind why she did this to someone she cared for and respected,” Lukens said, adding that Fletcher “feels deeply sorry and regretful for her actions.”

Erik Knapp, a deputy district attorney, told the court that Fletcher called 911 on March 29 and said, “I think someone is dead because he was stabbed.” But later she denied to authorities ever calling 911, Knapp said.

He said Fletcher and Valentine shared a motel room residence. Knapp said that Valentine was “in all likelihood stabbed while laying on the floor,” where he normally slept on a mattress.

Knapp said that Fletcher told investigators differing accounts of what took place, at one point telling investigators she had been “essentially” attacked by Valentine sometime on the night of the stabbing.

Lukens told the court Fletcher in her past has a “significant trauma history,” including having had her front teeth knocked out. But Lukens did not raise the issue of any violence against Fletcher as a factor in the stabbing.

“She knows that she caused this to happen, and she doesn’t know why,” Lukens said.

Asked if she would like to address the court, Fletcher said no.

In June, a grand jury indicted Fletcher on a second-degree murder charge. But as part of the negotiated agreement, she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, which is considered a “lesser included offense,” according to court documents.

Fletcher also pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon.

Judge Debra Vogt said Friday the sentence requires Fletcher to serve a minimum of 10 years before any consideration can be given for good behavior.

Fletcher’s daughter, Jennifer Taylor, sat in the courtroom and, at one point, asked Vogt if she “could hug my mother one last time.” The judge said such contact was not allowed.

In court, Lukens had described Valentine as Taylor’s stepfather.

After the judge’s sentencing order, Taylor could be seen standing next to her mother as a uniformed sheriff’s deputy stood by. The two women leaned forward, touching their foreheads together.