Arraignment for a Vancouver woman accused of killing her 75-year-old mother was pushed back Friday after the woman’s attorney indicated that her client’s condition had deteriorated, and she could not go forward with the hearing.
Asenka Miller Wilber, 50, faces two counts of second-degree domestic violence murder in Clark County Superior Court in the death of Carole Hardin.
Corrections deputies wheeled Miller Wilber into the courtroom in a restraint chair. Her Portland attorney, Sohaye Lee, attempted to enter not-guilty pleas on Miller Wilber’s behalf, but Miller Wilber would not respond to the judge and became emotional.
When Lee asked Miller Wilber if she was OK, she shook her head no. Lee handed Miller Wilber a tissue and spoke quietly to her, prompting Judge Gregory Gonzales to ask if they wanted time to speak privately.
However, when Miller Wilber’s case was recalled, she was still unable to go forward. Her arraignment was set over to Tuesday.
Miller Wilber had been living with Hardin and reported Sept. 27 that her mother died. Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded to their home, 14308 N.E. 80th St., to investigate the death. There, they found the mother with obvious injuries to her face and head, and another possible injury to her wrist, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office examined the woman’s body and discovered additional injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
Miller Wilber was arrested Sept. 30 following a search of her home and interviews with her and other family members.
She told detectives that her mother was physically abusive through her life. Earlier in the week, the two were reportedly in a physical fight. Miller Wilber said she punched her mother in the head until she stopped moving, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Miller Wilber checked Hardin’s pulse, she said, and confirmed she was dead.
“Instead of seeking medical aid or calling 911, (Miller Wilber) said she was confused and began digging a grave in the backyard for her mother,” the affidavit says.
After digging the grave for an entire day, she became too tired to continue, she said. The affidavit does not indicate how long it took from the time Miller Wilber stopped digging to when she called deputies. She went to a neighbor’s house to make the call, according to the affidavit.
