Larry Doil Sanders: Man convicted after killing friend over delusion of being sacrificed to 'Bigfoot'

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

PONTONTOC COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: A man who asserted that he murdered his friend because he thought the victim was calling upon Bigfoot, has been convicted of murder. 

An Oklahoma judge delivered the verdict on Wednesday, April, 17, as reported by People. 

For context, Jimmy Knighten was strangled to death in July 2022 while fishing with Larry Doil Sanders.

What happened in the courtroom?

A judge has found 55-year-old Larry Sanders guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Jimmy Knighten in July 2022, based on ample evidence. 

Sanders is set to receive a life sentence on June 18, as per Law&Crime.

District Attorney Erik Johnson commented, “Yes, there was a monster in the woods that night, but it wasn’t Bigfoot, it was Larry Sanders." 

Sanders defended himself in court on Wednesday, claiming that while he and 52-year-old Knighten were noodling in a river, he spotted a 12-foot Bigfoot downstream. Additionally, he had described it as three sasquatch-looking figures. 

Prosecution witnesses testified that Sanders expressed the belief that Knighten was attempting to kill him and offer his body as a sacrifice to Bigfoot. 

Sanders asserted that Knighten's insistence on pursuing a fish led him to fear for his life, believing Knighten intended to drown him for such a purpose. 

Sanders’ legal team argued that their client's actions were in self-defense, aiming to regain control of the situation rather than to kill Knighten.

Police responded to the crime scene after 911 call

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, in a press release, announced that on July 10, 2022, agents responded to a call for assistance from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office regarding a potential homicide. 

Deputies initially arrived at the scene following a 911 call, where Sanders was reportedly informing a family member that he had just killed Knighten. 

Subsequently, Sanders engaged with detectives and purportedly attributed the incident to Knighten invoking Bigfoot. 

Sheriff John Christian stated, “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.” 

Christian also noted that Sanders seemed to be under the influence of a substance when speaking with deputies. 

A forensic psychiatrist testified that Sanders was experiencing methamphetamine-induced psychosis and believed he was acting in self-defense. 

Knighten’s body was discovered by sheriff deputies on July 10, 2022, according to authorities.

Knighten’s obituary reads "Jimmy truly enjoyed anything and everything outdoors. He loved to fish, hunt game, ride four-wheelers, and most of all drink his beer around a big bonfire. Jimmy never met a stranger, and would give anyone the shirt off his back.”