BALTIMORE — A two-time convicted murderer twice set free is back in prison for the deadly bludgeoning and stabbing of a 68-year-old man in Northwest Baltimore.
John Hall III was discovered dead inside his Clarks Lane apartment on May 28, 2021 by a maintenance crew.
An autopsy showed he suffered at least 17 blunt-force trauma injuries and 88 sharp-force wounds.
Turns out Hall won $1,000 at a casino the night prior, and in the past had accused Lively of stealing money from him.
Surveillance footage showed Reginald Lively, who lived in the same building as Hall, entering an elevator on the morning of the murder. Less than an hour later he's seen exiting the elevator, this time with a bag containing what appeared to be some kind of bloody weapon.
At first Lively, 68, claimed to be sleeping at the time Hall was killed. However, when confronted with surveillance footage Lively admitted that was him getting on and off the elevator with a wrench in-hand.
Although Lively maintained he never entered Hall's apartment, his DNA tied him to the crime scene.
Investigators later learned Lively had two prior murder convictions.
In 1986 he was found guilty of murdering Eleanor Williams in Anne Arundel County.
Lively served just eight-years of a 20-year sentence before being released.
Then in 2000, he was sentenced to 30-years behind bars for the murder of Willy Mae Arrington in North Carolina.
After about 12 years in prison, Lively was paroled again, making it possible for him to kill Hall.
“This violent offender should never have been allowed to walk free,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “No longer will repeat violent offenders serve a few years only to be released and terrorize our communities again."
Lively will now spend the rest of his life in prison without the chance of parole.
