Son Poisoned Mum and Dismembered her Body: The ill story of Beverly Liggett

Ari Liggett in October 2012 poisoned and slaughtered his mother Beverly Liggett 56 at Centennial, Denver. The cause of his action was initially linked to his mental illness before he was confirmed sane enough to stand trial. In November 2014, Ari was convicted of first-degree murder and received a death sentence of life imprisonment.

Story Background

Ari was a former student of the University of Colorado, but he’d struggled with mental health issues since the age of five and had been hospitalized five times. Beverly, 56, had some issues in her relationship with her son Ari as they lived together in Centennial, Denver, Colorado, in the western part of the United States.

Beverly, who had recently graduated from nursing school, complained of Ari’s ill-treatment of her and his sister. Ari had been arrested for making threats to his mother and younger sister.

Ari was harboring resentment towards his mum. Despite everything she had done to try to help him, Ari blamed her for his problems. Then when he discovered his mum had cut him out of her will, he took it badly.

The Crime

In 2012, Ari bought potassium cyanide (a fast-killing poison) and practiced how to mix it with a cocktail. All he wanted was to eliminate his mother despite the love she had shown him.

On a fateful day in mid-October 2012, Ari poisoned his mother. When he found out that she was dead, Ari spent 24 hours chopping up Beverly and cleaning the house. This was to enable him to dispose of her body without a trace of suspicion.

When his mother's body had been cut into manageable sizes, he put them in plastic storage tubs filled with olive oil and placed them in the back of her car.

His Arrest

Beverly was soon declared missing by friends and other relatives. Police searched the house and found the potassium cyanide with Ari nowhere to be found.

On October 17, police spotted Ari driving his mother's car through the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village. When they tried to stop him, he fled on foot – but was quickly caught. And when the police looked in the vehicle, they made a sickening discovery in the boot.

Ari was brought in for questioning and said he’d found his mum dead on the floor of their home. He suggested that she’d committed suicide by taking potassium cyanide and he was taking her body to be put in a storage shed.

Trial

When later questioned by police, the former University of Colorado student mentioned his mother’s will and said his ‘definition of right and wrong may be different from what others think.’

Liggett had pleaded not guilty because of insanity in July, but a state mental hospital found him competent to stand trial. 'His mental illness is used by him to his advantage. When he wants it,' said Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Sugioka.

Prosecutors said Ari poisoned his mother with a cyanide mixture on Oct. 14 or 15, 2012, and spent the next 24 hours getting rid of the evidence by dismembering her body in the bathtub.

Ari’s defense team insisted that Ari’s actions were ‘completely psychotic’. They said his mental illness meant there was no way he could plan a murder, and criticized the way he’d been treated over the years. The jury disagreed and found his actions to be cool and calculated.

Sentence

In November 2014, Ari Liggett, who was 26, was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ari remained silent at the news but did shift in his seat when the judge described his mother’s unconditional love for her son. She said her ‘fear for her son became a fear of her son’.