Homeless man stabbed to death with 3-foot sword, suspect arrested

Florida man arrested on charge of second-degree murder.

ByABC News
November 27, 2017, 11:47 AM
George Christopher Livingston, 51, is charged with second-degree murder in Florida.
George Christopher Livingston, 51, is charged with second-degree murder in Florida.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

— -- A homeless Florida man was arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly stabbed another homeless man to death using a 3-foot sword, officials said.

Authorities received a 911 call on Saturday afternoon about someone covered in blood lying next to railroad tracks in Lake Worth, about 10 miles south of West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

Responding authorities found a man dead from "visible injuries consistent with a violent attack," the sheriff's office said. A 3-foot sword was also found near the victim, the sheriff's office said.

After witnesses and a person of interest were interviewed, George Livingston, 51, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder, the sheriff's office said.

It appears that the suspect and the victim, David Beckett, 58, got into an altercation, which led to the stabbing, the sheriff's office said.

Both men lived in a homeless camp near the scene of the apparent attack, the sheriff's office said.

Livingston made a first appearance before a judge Sunday morning and "is being held without bond pending a full hearing to determine whether he can be released from jail," according to the Palm Beach Post.

It’s unclear whether he entered a plea.

Livingston, a felon with past arrests including aggravated stalking, is not permitted to carry a weapon, the newspaper reported.