Lawrence Javaris Hall III.
More depressing news from Florida’s biggest urban zoo…
A Jacksonville man now faces a murder charge in the death of an elderly church deacon who was kidnapped in a carjacking that ended with a crash during a police chase Jan. 2.
Lawrence Javaris Hall III, 26, is charged with killing 84-year-old Louis Warren Reese — a longtime member of Oak Harbor Baptist Church. Hall also is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer-high speed/death or serious injury, Duval County court records show.
Police initially arrested Hall for attempted murder but upgraded the charge to murder when Reese died Tuesday. Hall remains jailed without bail, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records show.
Hall is accused of robbing a Mayport internet cafe, then kidnapping Reese and taking his car at gunpoint. Jacksonville police intercepted the stolen car, resulting in a high-speed chase. Two officers were injured when they tried to stop the fleeing car. The chase ended when the car crashed into a power pole on Atlantic Boulevard.
Louis Warren Reese.