A judge denied a motion claiming self-defense seven years after authorities said a Naples woman killed her roommate during an argument.
Amanda Cook, 41, faces one count of second-degree murder.
According to her arrest affidavit, just after 2:15 a.m. July 3, 2019, Collier County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 1900 block of Imperial Golf Course Boulevard, in Naples.
When authorities arrived, they found the victim, Karen Leiti, 64, dead on the living room floor of her home.
Leiti’s roommate, Cook, was outside the home by her mother, who called 911.
According to the report, Cook’s mother told authorities that Cook argued with Leiti and claimed Leiti had fallen to the floor over a speaker in the living room.
But a medical examiner disputed the version Cook’s mother provided. Instead, the medical examiner ruled Leiti suffered blunt-force trauma to the left side of her head and that the injuries were not consistent with a “simple fall to the floor.”
The sheriff’s office’s report indicates authorities found the injuries consistent with an undisclosed “object” recovered from the living room.
Authorities said they found blood on the object and that “the shape of the object was consistent” with Leiti’s wounds.
“The recovered object was located away from the victim’s body and not in a position to have caused the victim’s injuries in a fall,” the report reads in part.
According to a motion to dismiss, claiming self-defense, Cook’s public defender, Shannon Hurst, stated that the night before the argument and slaying, Leiti saw Cook wearing a hijab — a head covering worn by Muslim women —, but an argument started the following morning, on July 3, 2019, when Cook moved a picture frame on the wall.
Court documents say Cook insulted Leiti, who in exchange pushed Cook on her chest.
Moments later, Leiti had both her hands on a nearby table as she stared at a kitchen knife, according to the reports. The motion claims Leiti threatened to kill Cook.
As she looked for an object to counter a knife attack, the motion says, Cook grabbed a nearby microphone stand, swung it and hit Leidi in the head.
Collier Circuit Judge Joseph Foster denied the motion almost two years later, on Dec. 8, paving the way for jury selection.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Judge denies self-defense motion in 2019 Naples killing of roommate
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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