Films, documentaries, and television series about serial killers have graced our screens for years. Sometimes, they feature actual footage of the real-life serial killer, while other times, events unfold through actors, as was the case with 2022’s Black Bird.

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The series portrayed the life of small-time criminal Jimmy Keene, who was offered the chance to have his ten-year prison sentence commuted if he could extract a confession from serial killer Larry Hall. In the end, is the real-life Larry Hall still alive, and what did he do to become so sought after by authorities?

What did Larry Hall do?

It is almost a wonder how Hall’s reputation isn’t often mentioned alongside that of the Zodiac Killer or even Jeffrey Dahmer considering he’s among the most prolific serial killers in American history. His full name is Larry Dewayne Hall, and he was convicted of the kidnapping and first-degree murder of a 15-year-old. Later, while imprisoned, Hall confessed to another murder, but he is suspected to have been involved in over 40 killings.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it is believed that Hall’s killings date back to the early 1980s. This belief is based on the discovery of numerous female corpses over the course of a decade, all exhibiting signs of strangulation and significant post-mortem trauma – similar to the remains found in the two confirmed Hall murders.

The FBI affirms that Hall exhibited a pattern of targeting and abducting young women, primarily Caucasian Americans, subjecting them to horrific acts of violence. These included sexual assault and torture, culminating in their tragic deaths through strangulation or stabbing.

It is alleged that he further desecrated their remains post-mortem, engaging in acts of necrophilia. These heinous crimes are said to have taken place in proximity to American Revolution and Civil War re-enactment sites that he was known to often visit, and where he purportedly selected his victims from nearby towns or cities.

Is Larry Hall still alive?

At the time of writing, Hall is still alive at 60 years old, serving his life sentence at a medium-security federal prison in Butner, North Carolina. However, obtaining a confession was no small feat, a challenge accurately depicted in Black Bird. James Keene, a Chicago-born businessman, was serving a ten-year prison sentence for a drug conspiracy charge when he was approached by the FBI in 1998.

Known for his charisma and charm, the Bureau offered Keene a deal: if he agreed to move to maximum security, befriend Hall, and obtain the locations of his victims, Keene’s sentence would be erased. He agreed to the proposition and managed to extract a confession from Hall, confirming a second murder involving Reitler. Allegedly, upon obtaining this information, Keene referred to Hall as “one of the most despicable forms of human life on this planet.”

True to their word, Keene’s sentence was reduced, and he was released after two weeks in solitary confinement. Hall’s appeal was denied, and the admission to the second murder solidified his life-sentence conviction, without the possibility of parole.