Hung Jury in Trial of Man Accused of Killing Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy in 1971

In September 2022, Montgomery County Police announced that an arrest was made in connection to the 1971 murder of Captain James Tappen Hall, a Montgomery County Special Deputy Sheriff who died from injuries sustained after being shot at the Manor Country Club in Rockville. Larry Smith, then 71, was arrested and suspected of shooting and killing Montgomery County Special Deputy Sheriff Captain James Tappen Hall 53 years prior. His trial ended in a hung jury Wednesday,

On Saturday, October 23, 1971, at approximately 10:40 p.m., Montgomery County Police officers were called to the Manor Country Club in the 14900 block of Carrolton Rd. in Rockville, MD, after witnesses reported a man lying face down in the southeast parking lot. Officers arrived at the scene and located Captain Hall suffering from a gunshot wound. Hall was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on October 26, 1971. Investigators believe that Hall interrupted a residential burglary in progress.

In October of 2021, the 50th anniversary of Captain Hall’s homicide, detectives from the Cold Case Unit decided to review the case with a fresh set of eyes. For almost a year, Detective K. Leggett and Corporal L. Killen of the Cold Case Unit, combed through case files, recordings, and interviewed witnesses. Through the course of their investigation, Leggett and Killen narrowed in on one person, Larry David Becker. In 1973 Becker was interviewed by investigators but had not been labeled a suspect.

Detectives determined that around 1975, Becker began using the last name Smith, and had been living in Little Falls, New York for over 45-years.  On Thursday, September 1, 2022, Leggett and Killen interviewed Smith in New York. During that interview, Smith admitted to shooting Captain Hall. On Thursday, September 1, 2022, detectives applied for and received an arrest warrant, charging Smith with murder. Smith was then arrested in New York for Captain Hall’s murder.  Smith waived his extradition and returned to Maryland at the end of that week.

Per FOX5, “The prosecution says it remains committed to seeking justice in this case and they have scheduled dates for a re-trial. New jury selection is scheduled to begin on June 17, 2024.”