BURSTIn the wake of the Cybertruck explosion outside President-elect Trump's Las Vegas hotel last week, the suspect's ex-girlfriend Alicia Arritt has detailed some of his traumas.
Arritt, a former Army nurse at Walter Reed, revealed that she spoke to Matthew Livelsberger recently, even receiving a video of him dancing in the Cybertruck that he had rented and ultimately exploded.
Beyond a fun-loving attitude, Livelsberger had to deal with the repercussions of traumatic brain injuries she said he had suffered while serving in the U.S. Special Forces.
"He had a lot of headaches, a lot of pain and exhaustion," Arritt said. "He just powered through. But he'd had several blasts that ... pounded his brain.
"I think no human should have to endure what he endured for so many years, all alone. He carried that weight. He carried the weight of his teammates' deaths. He carried the weight of the non-combatants that were just casualties. He kept all of that inside," she added.
Livelsberger served in active duty from January 2006 to March 2011, according to an Army spokesperson. He was a Green Beret operations sergeant.
According to Arritt, Livelsberger did not want to come forward for therapy regarding his brain injuries because he would not be able to be back in combat or with his peers. Asked about potential motives, she said she could not speculate on the exact reasons.
"I don't know all of what he was thinking, but I think two things can be true: I think it could be true that he had invisible injuries that a lot of veterans struggle with the anguish of war from 18 years of going on missions," she said.
"And I think he could've had some legitimate concerns about international concerns. He probably had a lot more information than most of us do," Arritt added.
Livelsberger was found dead in the Cybertruck with a gunshot wound to the head that police say likely happened before the explosion, which wounded at least seven people.
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