Assistant State’s Attorney Kurt Bjorklund described the situation as absurd.

“Your honor,” Bjorklund said, “enough is enough.”

In 1983, Reginald Lively killed Eleanor Williams and left her body to decompose in the woods behind a home in Annapolis. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Then, in 1993, Lively killed Willy Mae Arrington in North Carolina — two months after making parole. He was again convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

On Wednesday, Lively appeared in Baltimore Circuit Court for sentencing after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and carrying a concealed dangerous weapon in yet another killing.

A maintenance worker discovered the body of John Hall III on May 28, 2021, inside the Embassy Apartments in Northwest Baltimore.

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Hall suffered at least 17 blunt force injuries and a minimum of 88 sharp force injuries. He was 68.

“The murder of John Hall III should’ve never happened,” said Bjorklund, who added that the criminal justice system “failed society at large.”

Circuit Judge Sylvester B. Cox Jr. later sentenced Lively, 68, of Northwest Baltimore, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“The record of the defendant cannot be understated,” Cox said.

Baltimore Police interviewed witnesses and found out that Hall gambled at a casino the previous night and won about $1,000. Lively lived in the same apartment building, and investigators used surveillance video to develop him as a person of interest.

Detectives also learned that Hall had accused Lively of trying to steal from him in the past.

The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office’s Cold Case Unit conducted a further investigation to bring the case.

Hall graduated from Carver Vocational-Technical High School and learned electrical engineering and sheet metal trade. He held many jobs throughout his life including as a crane operator, and helped build the William Donald Schaefer Building, according to his obituary.

For 28 years, Hall served the Baltimore City Fire Department and retired as a lieutenant.

Six family members delivered statements and described Hall as a funny and generous man who dedicated himself to his community and touched many lives.

“For you to murder my father the way that you did, it’s overwhelming,” said his daughter, Erica Hall.

Lively, she said, “deserves not to see the light of day.”

John Hall’s younger sister, Saundra Hall, said her brother took family members out to restaurants and on vacation to places including SeaWorld Orlando. She said she last saw him on Mother’s Day.

“This crime didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye to a good big brother,” she said.

Lively declined to address the court.

Throughout the hearing, Lively talked to his attorney, Bradley MacFee, as the Hall family expressed their grief and devastation.