Ari Liggett Suffered From Delusions, Defense Claims In Murder Trial
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP/CBS4) - The trial is winding down for a suburban Denver man charged with poisoning and dismembering his mother after she removed him from her will.
Closing arguments were expected Friday in the first-degree murder trial of Ari Liggett, 25, of Centennial. Liggett is charged with the 2012 poisoning death of Beverly Liggett, 56.
Ari Liggett pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. A state mental hospital found him competent to stand trial.
The prosecution said in closing arguments that Liggett was arrogant, angry and obsessed with cyanide, and hated his mother. Beverly Liggett was poisoned with cyanide.
The defense said Liggett has been severely mentally ill since a young age and is delusional.
Ari and Beverly Liggett, who shared a home, were reported missing in mid-October 2012. Two days later, Greenwood Village police spotted Ari Liggett driving his mother's SUV and stopped him. His mother's remains were found in two plastic storage bins in the back of the vehicle.
According to court records, a search of the family's home found the poison potassium cyanide, traces of blood in a freezer and bathtub, and a large kitchen knife and a handsaw in a dishwasher, The Denver Post reported.
Ari Liggett told investigators that he had found his mother dead in their home and thought she committed suicide, according to records. He said he panicked and put her body in a freezer. He also told investigators he recently learned he wasn't in his mother's will.
After his arrest, Liggett told officers he "doesn't know right from wrong" and that he thought all people were demons.
Liggett's trial began on Oct. 20. Defense attorneys declined to call any witnesses this week, the Post reported.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
