A Florida courtroom meant to deliver final judgment instead spiraled into chaos as a woman convicted of murdering her roommate was physically removed while shouting delusional claims at the judge.
Amanda Cook, 41, was thrown out of the courtroom on Jan. 22 as she was being sentenced for the 2019 killing of her roommate, 64-year-old Karen Leiti. Video from the hearing shows Cook entering the room smiling — a moment that quickly curdled into disorder.
As the proceeding began, Cook suddenly erupted, yelling, “Saw my attorney, I need a military tribunal. This is a satan synagogue!” Her shouting continued as Joseph Foster attempted to speak, asking whether she wished to remain present for sentencing.
Cook talked over the judge, growing louder and more erratic. Within moments, Foster made a brief, decisive call. “You can remove her,” he said.
As courtroom security escorted her out, Cook continued shouting incoherently. “Whoa! Whoa! Just got busted! Get down, they’re coming in!” she yelled, her voice echoing down the hallway as the doors closed behind her.
With the defendant gone, Judge Foster addressed the disruption directly. He said he believed Cook was “malingering” — intentionally exaggerating or fabricating psychological symptoms, often to evade responsibility. The sentencing proceeded without her.
Cook was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
The conviction stems from the July 2019 death of Karen Leiti, whose body was found on the living room floor of the home she shared with Cook. Deputies were initially alerted after Cook’s mother contacted authorities, saying her daughter had arrived at her home in the early morning hours claiming she had been in an altercation with her roommate.
Cook told investigators that Leiti had fallen over a speaker and hit her head. That explanation unraveled under scrutiny. A medical examiner later concluded that Leiti’s injuries were consistent with intentional blunt-force trauma. The wounds matched an object recovered from the living room that was found smeared with blood, according to court records.
Cook was charged with second-degree murder on July 3, 2019, and later convicted.
