Murderer in Oklahoma Bigfoot case sentenced after being kicked out of courtroom

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

1 2 minutes read

ADA — A believer in Bigfoot was thrown out of his sentence Tuesday in his high-profile murder case after repeatedly interrupting a prosecutor and calling his remarks ignorant.

Larry Doil Sanders, 55, called the prosecutor “stupid” as Pontotoc County sheriff's deputies led him out of the courtroom Tuesday morning.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after refusing to appear in court again.

Sanders again claimed during his sentencing that he acted in self-defense when he choked Jimmy Glenn Knighten to death along the South Canadian River in 2022.

His trial in April focused on his delusional beliefs about mythical creatures. He testified at trial that the fight with Knighten took place after seeing three sasquatches at the river. He described the largest one as black and 12 feet tall.

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The two friends went to the river on July 9, 2022, to fish for noodles at a fishing spot near Allen, about 100 miles southeast of Oklahoma City. The victim's body was found the next day.

He testified at trial that he thought Knighten planned to drown him so his body would float to the Bigfoots to be eaten. “It was the only thing that made sense,” he said.

He said Knighten then attacked him after they argued about going back to the truck to go to a barbecue.

He told an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent that he spoke to the Bigfoots watching him after killing his friend and told them weak was bad, according to other trial testimony . A defense expert testified at trial that he suffered from psychosis caused by his frequent methamphetamine use.

Sanders waived his right to a jury trial in March. On April 17, Pontotoc County District Judge Steve Kessinger found him guilty of first-degree murder after two days of testimony.

Larry Sanders sentenced after refusing to appear in court again

The judge chose the sentence Tuesday after hearing from Sanders, the prosecutor and the defense attorney.

Sanders blamed the guilty verdict Tuesday on a higher power and ancient influences. He also said the truth had been ignored. He told the judge he would give his left arm if it would bring Jimmy back, but added: “Jimmy was a victim of his own actions.”

He winked at Assistant Prosecutor Tara Portillo as he rose from the witness stand. He then interrupted her as she began reading messages from X, formerly known as Twitter, about her case.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he complained. “That's bull—-. I don't want to hear any of that. It's ignorance.”

The judge told him to stop and asked deputies to remove him as he continued to complain. After he left, the prosecutor explained that his argument was that the legacy that “this murderer” had left to the victim's family was a joke about Bigfoot.

The judge agreed that Sanders could return to court to hear his punishment. Sanders told his lawyer he would rather go back to prison.

The victim was 52 years old and operated an auto body and body shop in Ada. Sanders had planned to start working for him on July 11, 2022.

The prosecutor described Knighten as a “good old country boy who went fishing with his friend at the river and never came back.”

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A call is expected. Sanders' court-appointed attorney, Larry Balcerak, says he did not deliberately intend to kill because of his delusional beliefs.

Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. The judge could have imposed just a life sentence, but Sanders wouldn't even have been eligible for parole for more than 30 years.

Larry Sanders sentenced after refusing to appear in court again

Lina Portman

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