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A 53-year-old Oklahoma man, Larry Sanders, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly killing his friend. Sanders claimed that he committed the crime because his friend summoned Bigfoot to kill him.
The victim has been identified as Jimmy Knighten. Pontotoc County Sheriff John Christian told Newsweek that, if convicted of the crime, Larry Sanders could be charged with first-degree murder,
On July 10, officials responded to a request for assistance by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office regarding a possible homicide, according to a press release from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
Just a day earlier, Sanders and Knighten had been noodling, a fishing technique that involves using bare hands to catch a fish, in the South Canadian River when "a confrontation ensued." This had taken a violent turn, resulting in Knighten's death. Reportedly, Sanders confessed to the police that he had "struck, strangled, and then drowned" Knighten.
Larry Sanders was reportedly under the influence during questioning
Sheriff John Christian said that it was as though Sanders was under the influence when he was being questioned about the incident. However, he was not subjected to any drug tests. Meanwhile, the chief medical examiner will also conduct an autopsy on Knighten to determine the cause of death, OSBI stated.
When deputies first responded to a 911 call on July 9, Sanders confessed to the crime and allegedly accused Knighten of summoning Bigfoot. Describing Sanders' statement, Christian said:
"So, his statement was that Mr. Knighten had summoned ‘Bigfoot’ to come and kill him, and that’s why he had to kill Mr. Knighten."
The Sheriff further maintained that though Larry Sanders had admitted to killing his friend, they wanted to gather proper evidence of the same.
In a report by KTEN, Christian was quoted as saying:
"It always makes it easier. You still have to prove all the elements of the crime, and what the suspect is telling you, you have to prove that that’s actually what happened."
53-year-old Sanders was initially arrested and booked on an outstanding warrant charge. However, after officers discovered Knighten’s body on July 10, he was charged with one count of first-degree murder. A first-degree murder charge is considered a very serious offense in Oklahoma and is punishable with the death penalty. The minimum sentencing for the same is life in prison.
The Oklahoma statute details four ways a criminal can commit homicide in the state. The three most common types of first degree murder charges filed in Oklahoma are malice aforethought murder, felony murder, and child abuse murder.
Larry Sanders is currently being held at the Pontotoc County Jail.
