COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WKRC) – A woman was removed from a courtroom after an outburst disrupted her sentencing hearing for the 2019 murder of her roommate, proceedings that ultimately ended with a life prison sentence, PEOPLE reported.
Amanda Cook, 41, was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for the murder of 64-year-old Karen Leiti, according to Collier County court records that PEOPLE reported. Video from the courtroom showed Cook entering smiling before launching into a shouting tirade, declaring she needed a “military tribunal” and calling the courtroom a “satan synagogue.”
Cook continued yelling over Judge Joseph Foster, who ordered court security to escort her out. As she was removed, Cook shouted additional comments, including, “Just got busted! Get down, they’re coming in!”
Judge Foster later described Cook’s behavior as “malingering,” a term used to describe feigning symptoms to avoid responsibility. The hearing continued in her absence, and Cook was sentenced to life in prison.
Cook was charged with second-degree murder in July 2019 after deputies found Leiti dead in their shared home. Authorities were alerted by Cook’s mother, who said Cook claimed Leiti had fallen and hit her head.
A medical examiner determined Leiti died from intentional blunt-force trauma consistent with an object found at the scene.
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