Brother-in-Law Gets Life Sentence in Soldier’s Death

DETROIT — A man convicted of murdering his brother-in-law, a soldier who had recently returned from the Persian Gulf War, was sentenced Monday to life imprisonment without parole.

Michael Cato was convicted Dec. 2 of first-degree murder in the death of Army Spec. Anthony Riggs. A life sentence without parole is mandatory for first-degree murder in Michigan.

Before the sentence was ordered, Cato read a statement that said: “I still can’t believe all the lies that went on in this courtroom. . . . I really believe in my heart that the jury had formed an opinion before they even heard the case.”

Cato’s attorney, James O’Connell, said an appeal is certain.

Riggs, who worked as a Patriot missile crewman, originally was thought to be a victim of random street violence.

Later, authorities accused Cato, 20, of planning the killing in an insurance scam that would benefit his sister, who had asked Riggs for a divorce. Murder charges against Toni Cato Riggs were dropped when a judge ruled that Michael Cato’s confession could not be used against her.