Sandness murder accused Aren Pearson was acting like ‘zombie’, High Court in Edinburgh hears
The mother of a man accused of murdering his lover told police he looked like a “zombie” on the night of the alleged crime, a court has heard.
Hazel Pearson,71, told detectives investigating the death of Claire Leveque of how her child Aren,41, did not look “like my son”.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Wednesday of Mrs Pearson’s recollection of seeing her son stabbing himself in the neck.
The court heard that she told police that Pearson had said he drove his car into the sea before saying he had “hurt” Miss Leveque.
Mrs Pearson then went to see Miss Leveque who was in a hot tub at her home in Sandness.
The court heard Mrs Pearson, who died in May this year, told police what she had witnessed on the evening of 11th February, 2024.
She said: “Aren walked into the kitchen and came back with a small black handled kitchen knife.
“Aren then started stabbing himself to the front of his neck.
“He was bleeding badly. Aren stated to me he had hurt Claire
“Claire was within the hot tub - the water was red with blood.
“Claire was covered with blood. She had severe injuries to her face.”
She told officers that after discovering Miss Leveque, she telephoned 999.
Describing this call, Mrs Pearson told officers Aren was acting like a “zombie”.
She added : "He was calm and was acting strangely.
“I told the officer on the phone that Aren was there and i passed the phone to Aren who spoke to the officer.
“Aren did not look like my son. He was just like the way a zombie looks.”
“I told the officer on the phone that Aren was there and I passed the phone to Aren who spoke to the officer.
“Aren did not look like my son. He was just like the way a zombie looks.”
The evidence emerged on the second day of proceedings against Pearson, a Canadian citizen, who denies murdering Miss Leveque and six other other charges.
At the start of proceedings on Tuesday, jurors heard Mrs Pearson had died in May.
Prosecutor Margaret Barron called DC Susan Gunn,42, to read the contents of three witness statements given to the force by Mrs Pearson.
In the statements, Mrs Pearson tells of how she was born in Shetland but moved to Canada in the early 1970s. Her son was born there in 1984.
The witness said she moved back to Shetland in September 2022 and her son came to live with her.
The court heard that the accused applied unsuccessfully for a UK passport which meant he could not work in Shetland.
He returned briefly to Edmonton in Alberta for work and met Miss Leveque, who was 15 years younger than him.
Mrs Pearson told officers her son had asked if Claire could come to Shetland - she said she refused but the couple came to Scotland.
Mrs Pearson said Claire was “good natured” and helped with housework.
She also told police that on the day of the alleged murder, there were “no issues” at all with the couple - they bought groceries from nearby shops and jurors were shown CCTV images of the pair visiting businesses.
Mrs Pearson told police the situation changed at about 4.30pm when her son appeared topless.
She told the police: “Aren stated to me that he had driven his car into the sea.”
She then said that Aren went to the kitchen of the property, where he got a knife and started assaulting himself with it.
In the second police statement, given on 21st February, 2024, Mrs Pearson told officers that her mother had received a package at her home which was for Claire and had been sent by a man.
In the statement, she disclosed that she had handed the package over to detectives.
She said: “This was sent to my mother’s home address. “The sender was ‘Jeremey’. I do not know who the male is.”
In her first statement, Mrs Pearson said that her son had several previous girlfriends and there was no history of domestic abuse that she was aware of involving Aren.
In her third statement, Mrs Pearson said he was “really depressed” and that he “wished he wasn’t here”. She also said Miss Leveque was on anti depressants.
But she also added: “They seemed very happy together.”
She also told police that on the evening of 2nd January, 2024, the family went to a relative’s party and Pearson appeared to be upset.
She told officers: “I hadn’t seen him act like that way before. He was not in his right mind. It was scary.”
Later in the morning, PC Kevin Simpson,32, told the court that he was one of the first officers to arrive at the home after the alleged murder.
He told the court of how after Pearson was detained, he made comments which were noted by officers.
When Ms Barron asked PC Simpson what Pearson said, the police office replied: “Murderers are to be killed. Put me in the kill box. Take me out to the boonies and put a bullet in me.”
When Ms Barron asked him what the boonies were, PC Simpson replied that it was a rural part of north America.
At the start of proceedings on Tuesday, jurors were read a statement of evidence which prosecutors and defence lawyers have agreed is proven and uncontroversial.
The jurors heard that the cause of Miss Leveque’s death was established as “stab wounds of the neck and chest.”
The jurors also heard it was agreed that the male voice heard on the emergency services call was Pearson and that his mother died aged 72 on 19th May, 2025.
The jurors were also read the contents of a legal document detailing the charges against Pearson.
Prosecutors claim that on February 11 2024, at a garage at Ringville, Pearson assaulted Claire, his partner, by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a knife. They also claim that Pearson repeatedly inflicted blunt force trauma to her head, neck and body by “means to the prosecutor unknown.”
Prosecutors then claim that Pearson compressed her neck and did “submerge her head and body in water” and that he murdered her.
He faces a total of seven charges.
Pearson has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues