420-pound man charged with brutal Tacoma double murder
May 27, 2014, 4:32 PM | Updated: May 28, 2014, 11:17 am
A Tacoma man faces two counts of first-degree murder after a vicious attack that involved an ax, knife, dumbbell, electrical cords and a wooden walking stick.
Aaron Livingston, 38, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in the deaths of Andrew Geissler, 25, and Denyse Marshall, 60, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said.
Livingston is also charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder for assaulting his girlfriend Julia Wheeler, 39, before the murders.
Livingston allegedly attacked Wheeler and Geissler last Thursday because he believed they were involved in a romantic relationship. Livingston was subsequently arrested, but no charges were filed because Lindquist’s office determined it didn’t rise to the level of a felony. The case was referred to the Tacoma City Attorney for possible misdemeanor charges, but they weren’t filed and Livingston was released.
After visiting a local bar, the man returned to the home he shared with the woman and Marshall. When Livingston – who is 6-feet-8 and 420 pounds – spotted Geissler on the couch, he became enraged, grabbed an axe and hit Geissler in the head three times, court documents say.
Livingston then went upstairs to the bedroom and beat his girlfriend with a walking stick and choked her until she was unconscious. He told detectives he decided to “let God decide” whether she lived or died.
He then went to the basement where Marshall – a family friend – lived, hitting her in the head with a ‘Shake Weight’ before strangling her with electrical cords.
Livingston then allegedly returned to the living room to find Geissler still breathing, and cut his throat. He then returned to the basement and cut Marshall’s throat as well.
About an hour later, Livingston approached Tacoma Police officers in a patrol car and told them he “did some really bad things, hurt some people and needed to go to jail.” Officers responded to the home and found the victims. They arrested Livingston, who was booked into the Pierce County Jail.
The girlfriend was found upstairs with non-life threatening injuries.
