A Clearwater man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder following a fatal shooting at a Pinellas Park business early Friday morning, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a recently filed complaint affidavit, deputies responded to the business at approximately 4:44 a.m. on June 5 after a 911 caller reported hearing a gunshot and said a friend was still inside the building.
When deputies forced entry into the business, they located 50-year-old Craig Allan Beeth of St. Petersburg lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators also located a spent .45 caliber shell casing near the victim and observed suspected narcotics and related paraphernalia inside an office area. Beeth was pronounced deceased at 5:04 a.m.
Investigators learned that another man at the scene, Thomas Eldridge Killgo, had been communicating by text message with 44-year-old Robert Leon Worthington of Clearwater in the hours leading up to the shooting. According to the affidavit, Worthington allegedly sent messages stating he was “going crazy” and later wrote that he was “homicidal and suicidal at this point” and that it was “not really good to be around people.”
The affidavit states Killgo encouraged Worthington to come to the shop, where investigators believe the two later met with Beeth.
Detectives obtained surveillance footage from inside the business that allegedly showed Worthington and Beeth involved in a confrontation. According to investigators, the video shows Worthington holding a handgun while Beeth attempted to retreat and make defensive gestures. Detectives wrote that the confrontation moved through the shop before Worthington allegedly extended the firearm toward Beeth’s head and fired a single shot.
Investigators also reviewed exterior surveillance footage that allegedly showed Worthington leaving the business on a motorcycle immediately after the shooting. License plate reader data and surveillance cameras from businesses along the route reportedly tracked the motorcycle as it traveled southbound through Pinellas County. Detectives later identified the motorcycle as a 2021 Harley-Davidson registered to Worthington.
The affidavit further states that after the shooting, Worthington left the scene on the motorcycle while Killgo remained behind and called 911.
Following an investigation, detectives located and arrested Worthington on Saturday, June 6. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and charged with First-Degree Murder.