February 23, 2010 12:36 am
BY ROBIN KNEPPER
The estranged wife of an Orange County deputy sheriff accused of his slaying will not be granted bond.
Orange County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Frank Somerville denied bond for Brenda Lee Canosa, 49, yesterday. She will remain in Central Virginia Regional Jail charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
She was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder after allegedly shooting Investigator Bob Canosa, 55, at his residence in Unionville. He died Dec. 20 at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Diana Wheeler described how Brenda Canosa had called Bob Canosa at 5:40 a.m. from her car outside the building where he was living. She told him to come out to her car, said Wheeler, and when he did, she shot him and left the scene.
“She went home and showered,” said Wheeler. “She didn’t wait to see where the bullets went.”
Authorities say Brenda Canosa fired all nine rounds in the handgun and Bob Canosa was struck with five of them.
He lay for 30 minutes waiting for help but apparently no one had heard the shots. He called the Sheriff’s Office for assistance, according to Chief Deputy Tim Murphy.
Murphy owns and operates the Professional Canine Training Center, the facility where Canosa had an apartment. Murphy built the facility on land he owns and where his mother and his ex-wife and daughter live.
“She has exhibited classic stalking behavior,” said Wheeler, “and we have complaints and evidence of that. She lured him out of his home and she thinks other deputies were on his side during the marital split. She made allegations about his relationship with a female deputy.”
Defense attorney Dana Slater argued that allegations of infidelity “don’t necessarily mean there’s a threat to others.”
Longtime friends Deborah and Mark Baker testified that they would put up their Culpeper County farm as collateral for a bond.
The Canosa children, Caitlin, 22, and Joe, 20, testified that their mother was “a wonderful mom” and a person who would “do anything for anyone.”
“That’s nothing any child wouldn’t say about their mother,” Wheeler said. “She planned this, set it up and carried it out. She emptied a gun into him.”
“This is not a random act against an unknown person,” said Slater. “The kids might not know the situation. She’s not known to be a person who flies off the handle.”
When Somerville asked each if their mother had been under any stress, both responded that she had not.
“The kids said their mother was not under unusual stress,” said Somerville, “so where’s the evidence that this is a domestic violence case? It’s not like they met at the 7–Eleven, he slaps her and she shoots him.”
“Starting with the presumption that there’s no bond high enough to guarantee her good behavior,” he said, “the question is, can I protect the community with bond?”
After denying bond, he added that Canosa could appeal his ruling and that it will be reviewed next week when Canosa is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in his court.
Cases of domestic violence are first heard in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court before being heard in a higher court. Somerville is expected to certify the case to the grand jury in Circuit Court when he rules at her preliminary hearing next week.
Robin Knepper: 540/972-5701 rknepper@earthlink.net
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