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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - The trial for a man accused in the 1971 murder of a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy ended in a hung jury Wednesday.
Larry Smith, 71, is suspected of shooting and killing Montgomery County Special Deputy Sheriff Captain James Tappen Hall 53 years ago.
Hall was shot at the Manor Country Club on Carrolton Road in Rockville on Saturday, Oct. 23, 1971.
Witnesses at the Manor Country Club said they found Hall lying face down in the southeast parking lot with a gunshot wound to his head around 10:40 p.m. He was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries just three days later.
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Investigators believe that Hall interrupted a residential burglary in progress, and for 51 years, his murder had gone unsolved.
In October 2021, on the 50th anniversary of Hall’s murder, cold case detectives decided to review the case.
Almost a year later, on Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022, Montgomery County police arrested Smith — whose name is actually Larry David Becker — and charged him with Hall’s murder. He was held without bond pending trial, which was scheduled to begin in March 2023.
Smith had been interviewed by police in 1973 but was not labeled a suspect.
On Jan. 12, closing arguments began in Smith’s trial. The jury began deliberations on Jan. 16 but it was announced a day later that the jury was hung.
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.