Ari Misha Liggett's mom ID'd as dismembered body found in car, more shocking details (44)
Yesterday, we told you about the startling case of Ari Misha Liggett, who was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after the dismembered remains of a woman were found in the backseat of his car; see our previous coverage below. Now, the victim has been positively identified as Beverly Liggett, the suspect's mother -- and additional details are surfacing regarding her fears about her son and the search that led to a particularly gruesome discovery.
Big photo below.
As we've reported, the 24-year-old Liggett's name first appeared in this space after a 2010 arrest on a weapons charge led to a bizarre chemical scare at a Boulder homeless shelter involving a substance later identified as potassium ferrocyanide in granular form. Then, on Monday, family members reported that Liggett and his mother, with whom he lived, were missing. Credit card transactions told authorities Liggett had visited the Western Slope, but they didn't sight him until the early morning hours of Wednesday, as he drove in an Arapahoe County neighborhood near their 6223 East Peakview Avenue address in Centennial. Liggett was arrested after a one-car crash and brief foot chase, after which officers discovered the dismembered remains of an adult female in the backseat of his car.
Liggett's 2010 mug shot.
The Arapahoe County coroner has now positively identified the body as belonging to Beverly, a registered nurse. Meanwhile, 9News spoke with Ronald Liggett, Ari's father, whose concerns, and those of Beverly's current boyfriend, when Beverly didn't answer the phone originally led to the investigation. He told the station Liggett is mentally ill. "This is a mental-health issue," he said. "Like you're seeing every day in the papers, it won't be positively addresses until the society takes it as seriously as the war on drugs or terrorism."
More details from the station: Investigators who entered the Peakview home when the case was still about a missing person, not homicide, discovered blood in a freezer and bathtub, as well as what are described as "cutting tools" in the dishwasher. Also on scene was what's believed to be potassium cyanide in its more dangerous liquid form.
The implication: Liggett may have killed and dismembered Beverly in Centennial before he was caught with her remains -- meaning he may have been driving around with them for days.
For his part, Liggett reportedly told police that he found his mom dead in the living room of the home and believed she'd killed herself -- but rather than calling the authorities, he put her in the freezer out of panic. He added, however, that he'd recently found out he wasn't listed in his mom's will, which could be taken as a motive.
The crime scene at the Liggett's Centennial home.
More disturbing information is found in a January 2010 court filing accessed by 9News. According to the documents, Beverly was afraid for her life more than two years ago due to her son's actions. Part of her concerns came from the discovery of a modified rifle, supplemented by two containers of potassium ferrocyanide and a gas mask, among his stuff -- but he's also said to have announced in the past that he intended to "get rid of the family," including Beverly and his younger sister.
Here's a 9News report about the crime, followed by our previous coverage.
Continue for our previous coverage, including photos and a map of the area near the crime scene.
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