Reginald Lively was sentenced to life without parole on Nov. 12 for the 2021 murder of 68-year-old John Hall III after jurors reached a unanimous guilty verdict on his charges of first-degree murder and one count of concealing a deadly weapon. Lively was acquitted of a second weapon concealment count.
The 59-year-old convict reportedly entered Hall’s third-floor residence during the early morning hours of May 28, 2021 and began attacking him as he lay on his couch. Investigators believe the attack occurred between the hours of 6:32 a.m. and 6:41 a.m.
Hours later, at approximately 10:25 a.m., officers responded to a call for an unconscious person on the 3800 block of Clarks Lane. An apartment maintenance worker advised he made the call after first- and second-floor residents residing below Hall reported water leaking through their ceilings. After receiving the calls, the worker responded to Hall’s unit and discovered his body, bloodied and concealed under a blanket next to the couch.
Investigators discovered blood pooling on and around the couch, suggesting Hall was attacked while on the couch and rolled onto the floor, where his assailant continued to strike him before attempting to conceal his body.
Apartment surveillance footage was recovered that captured Lively traveling to and from the apartment’s third floor via elevator. At 6:52 a.m., Lively was captured exiting the apartment lobby with a plastic bag containing a weighted object covered in a red-colored substance. He returned shortly after, empty-handed. During his initial police interview, Lively identified himself in still photographs extracted from the footage.
Lively’s DNA was also a close match to what was recovered from Hall’s front doorknob. The case was prosecuted by the Cold Case Unit Chief at the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, who noted Hall was a recovering alcoholic suffering from gout that caused crystallization in his hand and made walking a painful ordeal. Hall was reportedly known to leave his front door unlocked for his personal ease of movement.
Hall was also known among friends and family members to enjoy outings at casinos. Investigators learned Hall won $1,000 at a casino the night before his death, but were unable to recover any significant amounts of money while searching the crime scene.
On Nov. 12, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City released a statement from its Cold Case Unit Chief, the case’s prosecuting attorney. “Clearly, this investigation needed ‘fresh eyes,’” he stated. “Without question, the file contained significant evidence against the defendant dating from 2021, but there were more avenues to pursue, including additional DNA testing.”
Lively was represented by public defense attorney Brad MacFee. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Sylvester B. Cox presided over the trial, which concluded Oct. 23.
