Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
3-foot sword found near body covered in blood
Man charged with murder in Lake Worth
A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder after another man covered in blood was found dead Saturday next to the railroad tracks north of Avenue N in Lake Worth, authorities said.
Near the victim’s body investigators found a 3-foot sword, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office.
George C. Livingston is being held without bond in the Palm Beach County jail on a charge of second-degree murder. The charge is also described as “murder, dangerous depraved without premeditation” on Livingston’s booking sheet.
The victim was identified by the Sheriff’s Office as 58-year-old David Beckett, who lived in a nearby homeless camp with Livingston.
The sheriff’s office determined the stabbing had stemmed from a fight between Beckett and Livingston, but it is unclear what caused the fight.
Authorities received a 911 call at 4:09 p.m. Saturday with information that “a subject covered in blood was lying next to the railroad tracks,” according to Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. Deputies and Palm Beach Fire Rescue responded, Barbera said.
“Detectives arrived, interviews were conducted with witnesses and a person of interest that had been detained by the responding deputies,” Barbera said in a press release. “Probable cause was developed and George C. Livingston … was arrested for 2nd Degree Murder.”
Livingston has twice served prison sentences in Florida after being convicted of aggravated stalking, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. One of those convictions came in Broward County, the other in Palm Beach County, records show.