Witness: Man paced, talked about aliens before killing man

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — A witness has testified that a man was pacing and babbling about aliens hours before he allegedly beat another man to death and assaulted responding officers in Rhode Island.

The Providence Journal reports a senior cook at the University of Rhode Island’s conference center said Monday at Christian Lepore’s murder trial that a disheveled and disoriented Lepore had said “they’re here…the government knows it and they’re covering it up,” in the hours leading up to 62-year-old John O’Neil’s death. Lepore was an assistant cook.

Police say the 35-year-old Lepore was naked when he walked onto O’Neil’s property apparently at random and beat him to death last May in West Greenwich.

Lepore’s lawyers argue that Lepore was mentally ill and unable to form intent to kill O’Neil.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com