A West Palm Beach businessman accused of killing an alligator with a hammer appeared in Palm Beach County court Tuesday, Oct. 20. A judge ordered Desmond Keogh, owner of Haifa Limestone, held on a $3,000 bond.
Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they received an anonymous call Sunday about a dead alligator. The investigation led them to Keogh’s business in West Palm Beach, where he admitted to shooting the animal and striking it several times in the head with a hammer. Officers said the hammer was still embedded in the reptile’s forehead.
FWC said Keogh does not have the alligator tags required to target, harvest or possess the animal. Officials also accused him of unlawfully discharging a firearm in public. He was arrested and charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor, and he was taken to an area jail.
Court records do not give a reason for the killing. During the hearing, the judge said the obvious question was why Keogh would do it, and noted that he refused to answer. Keogh tried twice to speak to the judge, but his attorney stopped him each time.
FWC said the investigation remains active and that no additional information is available for release.
