Man suspected in Livingstone’s fire convicted in Hanford on elder abuse charges

A man accused of destroying a popular Tower District bar and eatery in December of 2016 was convicted Thursday in a separate Kings County elder abuse case, according to court records.

Justin Joseph Silva was identified by Fresno Fire Department investigators as the man who set fire to Livingstone’s restaurant. He was on trial in Hanford on the unrelated charges of elder abuse and robbery.

Livingstone’s was heavily damaged in a fire set early on the morning of Dec. 20, 2016. In January of 2017, a warrant was issued for Silva, who was accused by Deputy Fire Marshal Don MacAlpine of setting the blaze at “the heart and soul of the Tower District.”

Less than a month later, Silva was arrested in Kings County after he allegedly broke into an elderly woman’s home, kicked and punched her, threatened to kill her and drove away in a pickup with items stolen from her home.

Silva will next face trial in Fresno, said Steve Wright of the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

Wright said Silva is wanted on the failure to appear warrant in the arson case. Once he is sentenced in Hanford, he will be transported to Fresno for prosecution.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Man suspected in Livingstone’s fire convicted in Hanford on elder abuse charges."