Murder Trial Postponed for 68-Year-Old Baltimore Man

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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland postponed the murder trial of Reginald Lively on June 16 following a brief hearing in reception court.

Lively, 68, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of concealing a dangerous weapon in connection to the 2021 murder of John Hall III, 58. He was brutally stabbed and beaten to death.

Defense attorney Bradley L. Macfee cited medical issues and pending DNA evidence as the primary reasons for the delay. The court granted Macfee’s postponement request, to which the prosecution had no objections.

Hall was found deceased on May 28, 2021, in an apartment in the 3800 block of Clarks Lane. A maintenance worker responded to complaints from residents about dripping water and discovered Hall’s body covered by a blanket. Police say he sustained 88 sharp force injuries and 17 blunt force trauma wounds.

Surveillance footage showed a persosn said to be Lively entering and exiting the building around the time of the murder. He initially claimed he was asleep, but later advised he was on the fourth floor retrieving a wrench. The building was undergoing construction at the time, as it had recently faced a fire.

A witness said Lively had previously tried to steal money from Hall, who had recently won $1,000 by gambling. Prosecutors also said DNA recovered from Hall’s doorknob produced a match with Lively.

The case, which was originally filed on Aug. 13, 2024, is now slated to proceed with a five-day trial beginning Oct. 15, 2025 before Judge Sylvester B. Cox.