US fugitive arrested
A man who was able to escape a 2007 murder conviction in a scheme that sent a former Texas prosecutor and judge to prison has been captured in India, authorities said Friday.
Amit Livingston was convicted of murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison in the slaying of his former lover, Hermila Hernandez, a 31-yearold mother of three whose body was left on the beach at South Padre Island in September 2005. Hernandez had been shot in the back of the head after telling Livingston she wanted to end their relationship, according to the district attorney’s office.
Livingston, now 46, disappeared after the judge, Abel Limas, took the unusual step of allowing him time to get his affairs in order before reporting to prison. Limas, and the district attorney at the time, Armando Villalobos, were both later convicted in a bribery conspiracy.
The scheme that allowed Livingston to escape featured prominently in the federal corruption trial of Villalobos.
Villalobos had arranged to have a friend and former law partner represent the interests of Hernandez’s three children in a related lawsuit. By agreeing to convict and sentence Livingston on the same day, Limas freed up the $500,000 bond that had been posted for his release before trial. An agreement was reached to use that bond money to settle the lawsuit. The lawyer representing the children took $200,000 of it in fees, passing $80,000 on to Villalobos and $10,000 to Limas. (AP) San Francisco fire department officials declined comment.