BOYNTON BEACH - A 65-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, then killing himself Thursday afternoon in their suburban Boynton Beach home was arrested last month after he threatened to kill the woman, according to an arrest report.

Charges of assault, grand theft and resisting arrest without violence were dropped by county prosecutors Monday, just days before authorities say Lloyd Livingstone Hanniford killed Lola Ivett Savage, 59, at the home they shared on the 5500 block of Boynton Place, just south of Boynton Beach Boulevard.

Hanniford and Savage had been divorced for several years but continued to live together, according to court documents.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies found Hanniford and Savage deceased on the floor with gunshot wounds when they responded to the home at about 3:15 p.m., according to a PBSO spokesman.

Mike Edmondson, spokesman for the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, declined to speak specifically about the decision to not pursue the charges against Hanniford, but said "domestic violence cases often present challenges with issues involving relationships, children and finances that quite often cause a victim not to cooperate with the case."

Court records show that Hanniford also was arrested in a domestic violence incident Sept. 19 when he allegedly threatened to shoot and kill his 39-year-old son at a home in Lake Worth Beach, where they lived. Savage was also in the house when Hanniford, armed with a firearm, allegedly told his son: “If you come out here, you must die.”

The arresting deputy wrote in his report that he "determined that (Hanniford’s) intent was not to kill his son. Based on his statements, I suspect he was attempting to frighten his son and ex-wife, but not to kill them."

Hanniford faced a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill for threatening his son. Records show prosecutors reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon, and dropped the case after Hanniford entered a pretrial diversion program that required him to pay a $100 cost of prosecution.

Authorities found the same black Taurus 9 mm handgun in Hanniford’s possession following both arrests. PBSO did not release a description of the firearm Hanniford used Thursday to kill himself and his wife.

Savage told deputies July 31 that her ex-husband became angry at her while she spoke on the telephone "saying stuff ... that Lloyd didn’t like."

At some point, Hanniford armed himself with his gun and told Savage to give her the phone, according to the arrest report.

After Hanniford took the phone and left the home, Savage went to a friend’s house. The friend phoned Hanniford, who then came to the house.

When Hanniford refused to return the cellphone, Savage called 911, the report said.

"If she is calling the police on me, I’m going to shoot her," Hanniford allegedly yelled.

Hanniford left the friend’s home but was stopped by deputies, who arrested him at gunpoint. While he was being placed in custody, Hanniford allegedly attempted to pull away and was forced to the ground by several deputies. His jail mugshot shows that Hanniford sustained an injury to his right eye during the arrest.

Hanniford was also arrested in Miami-Dade County in April 2000 on charges of false imprisonment and battery. The details of the incident that led to the arrest were not available, but court records show prosecutors took no action.

Savage is the 61st confirmed homicide victim this year in Palm Beach County, according to the Palm Beach Post homicide tracker.

Staff writer Julius Whigham II and staff researcher Melanie Mena contributed to this story.

jmilian@pbpost

@caneswatch