Bio

Charlie Livingston was born on February 14, 1962. He was 21 years old at the time of the crime and had a 10th-grade education. His mother later said that his father’s death affected him deeply. Before the murder of Janet Caldwell, Livingston had already been involved in a violent knife attack. His known murder case centers on the August 10, 1983 robbery and shooting in Houston, Texas.

Murder Story

On the evening of August 10, 1983, Janet Caldwell left her home and drove to a Weingarten’s grocery store at West 43rd Street and Oak Forest Drive in Houston, Texas. She parked her black Chevrolet pickup truck in the store’s parking lot and went inside to shop. After finishing her shopping, Caldwell left the store carrying groceries and her purse. As she walked back to her truck, she was attacked in the parking lot during a purse-snatching. Several people nearby heard screams and saw a struggle between Caldwell and a man.

During the struggle, the attacker pulled out a gun and shot Caldwell. Witnesses saw the man run from the scene carrying a gun and a purse. He was described as wearing dark clothing with white lettering and a white cloth or covering over his face. Caldwell was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to her throat. A spent 9mm cartridge casing was found near her body. Part of her purse was found under her body, and the rest of the purse was found near a dumpster at the west end of the parking lot.

Police officers arrived quickly. Behind the grocery store, they saw Charlie Livingston walking in a dimly lit area. When officers approached him, he denied knowing anything about the shooting and claimed he had been shopping inside the store. He had no groceries, was sweating heavily, and had torn pants. Livingston agreed to go with officers back to the scene. When he was brought to the parking lot, several witnesses identified him as matching the person they had seen during or after the shooting. Officers arrested him and read him his rights.

Investigators found Livingston’s car parked behind a nearby Gulf service station. A white cloth and a 9mm pistol were found under a bush. Police also found footprints leading away from the crime scene, and a cast of one footprint was later compared with Livingston’s shoes. At trial, testimony stated there was a high probability that his shoes made the print. Livingston later confessed to the murder, but neither side introduced the confession during the trial. His defense focused on mistaken identity and challenged the witness identifications.

Livingston was prosecuted for capital murder in the 180th District Court of Harris County, Texas. On April 17, 1985, a jury found him guilty of capital murder. The jury later answered the required sentencing questions in a way that resulted in a death sentence. His conviction and sentence were affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on October 21, 1987. The United States Supreme Court refused review on June 20, 1988. Later state and federal appeals also failed.

Charlie Livingston was executed by lethal injection in Texas on November 21, 1997.