Judge cites brutality in sentencing Reginald Lively for the death of neighbor John Hall III.
BALTIMORE — Reginald Lively, 68, was sentenced to life without parole for killing 68-year-old neighbor John Hall III in 2021 at a Northwest Baltimore apartment building, closing a long-delayed case that prosecutors said was rebuilt with new DNA testing and enhanced surveillance footage.
Prosecutors said the case matters because Lively had twice been convicted of murder before and later paroled, raising the stakes as the city’s Cold Case Unit pursued a sentence that would keep him in prison permanently. The unit, formed last year, is reviewing about 50 older homicides. Officials said Hall’s killing — a stabbing and beating inside his third-floor unit on Clarks Lane — was among the unit’s early priorities once evidence analysis resumed post-pandemic.
Investigators found Hall on May 28, 2021, after a maintenance worker entered the apartment for a service issue and discovered his body under a blanket. Building cameras captured Lively leaving his unit and using the elevator during the window of the attack, prosecutors said. Later, the same camera showed him leaving with a plastic bag that held a heavy object later identified as a wrench. Cold-case prosecutors resubmitted items for lab testing, and DNA tied Lively to the inside of Hall’s apartment. Hall had recently won roughly $1,000 at a casino; money was missing afterward. “We don’t have a strong motive beyond the missing money,” Cold Case Unit Chief Kurt Bjorklund said.
State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates called Lively “a serial killer” and said the unit’s work brought a “measure of justice” to Hall’s relatives. In court, the judge described the attack as “gross and perverse,” pointing to the number of stab wounds and additional blows detailed by medical examiners. Lively did not speak before sentencing. Defense attorneys had previously sought delays, citing medical concerns and pending lab results earlier this year. Once the results returned and the timeline was set through video, the case moved to trial and sentencing.
Lively’s earlier cases include a 1985 domestic homicide in Anne Arundel County and a 2000 killing in North Carolina. He served portions of 20- and 30-year sentences before being paroled. Prosecutors said that pattern informed their push for a sentence that precludes release. The judge imposed life without parole, the maximum allowed under the law, and credited the cold-case team for reassembling the evidence in a case that had stalled during the pandemic and court backlogs.
Relatives spoke briefly in court. “We got justice today,” said nephew George Hancock, who thanked investigators for staying with the case through postponements. Niece Tamara Williams said the family had not seen remorse from the defendant and hoped the sentence “keeps other families from going through this.” Prosecutors said the cold-case team has closed three investigations since launching and plans to brief the public on additional cases as testing and reviews finish later this year.
Lively remains in state custody to serve life without the possibility of parole. No additional hearings are scheduled, and the case will be closed administratively after the final paperwork is filed this month.
Author note: Last updated November 13, 2025.