46-year-old Amit Livingston reportedly walked out of a South Texas courtroom in 2007 after being convicted of murder. He was ordered to turn himself into prison 60 days after his sentencing, but never showed up. He had apparently been on-the-run since his sentencing. Only recently was Livingston apprehended–on May 9 it was announced that he was discovered in India, according to a report by the Associated Press (AP).
The details of the arrest, and how exactly officers learned of Livingston’s location, have not been made public at this time.
Livingston was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison for the murder of 31-year-old Hermila Hernandez, his girlfriend and a mother of three. Hernandez’s body was allegedly found on a beach at South Padre Island in 2005.
Livingston apparently said he killed Hernandez because she insulted him and “pushed the right buttons.” Prosecutors alleged that the woman had planned to break up with him prior to her death.
A criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas said that in September 2005 Livingston took Hernandez to South Padre Island. “After she allegedly ‘insulted’ his manhood, Livingston grabbed his handgun and shot Hermila Hernandez from behind, leaving her on the beach dunes to be found days after her death,” the complaint stated.
The judge who sentenced Livingston in 2007, Abel Limas, gave him 60 days to “get his affairs in order” before going to prison.
Court documents said, “Having been ordered to turn himself in to the Cameron County Jail on April 14, 2007 to serve [his] sentence, Livingston failed to appear as ordered … On or about December 3, 2007, America’s Most Wanted received a tip from a confidential informant who is a close family acquaintance. The informant provided an address where the Defendant is believed to reside in Hyderabad, India, and two other possible locations where the Defendant frequents.”
Following Livingston’s failure to turn himself in, Judge Limas and district attorney Armando Villalobos were both convicted for their roles in a bribery scheme.
The AP reported that Villalobos solicited a friend to represent the interests of Hernandez’s children in a separate, but 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 AP report stated. “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.”
Ultimately, Limas was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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