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Ari Liggett Sentenced To Life For Mother's Poisoning Death

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - Ari Liggett, the man who poisoned his mother with cyanide, cut her body into pieces and then drove her remains around in the back of her car, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Ari Misha Liggett
Ari Misha Liggett (credit: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)

An Arapahoe County judge sentenced Liggett, 26, after he was found guilty on Monday of first-degree murder of Beverley Liggett, 56, in October 2012.

He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His lawyers argued that he suffers from severe mental illness, including delusions and obsessions. The prosecution said Liggett bought cyanide in bulk over a long period of time, something that proved his intentions were rooted in sanity.

Prosecutors said he dismembered his mother's body to dispose of it.

Beverly Liggett had also removed her son from her will, and he apparently held

Liggett was arrested on Oct. 17, 2012, after officers found him driving Beverly Liggett's Honda CR-V. Her remains were discovered in plastic storage boxes in the back of the SUV.

His family said it has no doubt he killed his mother.

"In the end, my brother is 100 percent guilty of his crime," his sister, Livia Liggett, said. "Whether or not it could have been prevented, I don't know."

She said the family tried helping him, but she was also fearful.

"My family has moved heaven and earth to try and get him help," she said. "There were times when I was scared of Ari. There were times when I thought that he was just totally off the rails, and I didn't know what he would do."

Ron Liggett, Ari Liggett's father, said he has spoken to other families who worry that children in their homes may be capable of similar crimes.

"The parents we've talked to -- and some have contacted us -- feel alone. They feel hopeless and they're fearful that the next phone call they get or the next news flash they see will be about their child," he said.

The Liggett family set up an email address -- bevshope101@gmail.com -- for others who need support in similar circumstances.

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