BALTIMORE — A man accused of killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere pleaded guilty last September Monday to two counts of attempted murder in a separate arson and home invasion that occurred days earlier.
Jason Billingsley33, pleaded guilty instead of going to court Monday morning. Officials said the plea agreement includes two life sentences to be served concurrently.
Billingsley is due back in court on Friday to answer for the murder of LaPere, an apparently random attack in which she was raped and beaten to death on the roof of her downtown apartment building.
In the home invasion case, police say Billingsley gained entry into an apartment building by identifying himself as the building’s maintenance man. According to the arrest warrant, he pointed a gun at a woman inside and used duct tape to restrain her and her boyfriend. He then raped the woman multiple times and attacked her with a knife before setting both victims on fire, causing severe burns, police wrote.
Officers found a backpack and other items in the bushes outside the home, including duct tape, a bleach container, a can of gasoline and a lighter, the warrant said.
The victims in that case, April Hurley and Jonte Gilmore, a lawsuit filed Earlier this year, he accused the property owner and management company of negligence in hiring staff.
Billingsley was released from prison in October 2022, after serving a reduced sentence for a 2013 rape because he had behaved well behind bars.
LaPere, who founded a tech startup from her Johns Hopkins University dorm room and was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for social impact, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. At a bail hearing following Billingsley’s arrest, prosecutors said he admitted to hitting LaPere with a brick. He entered her downtown Baltimore apartment building after waving her toward the glass door, but there’s no reason to believe they knew each other, police said.
Her body was found on the roof six days after the attack on Hurley and Gilmore.
Billingsley was quickly identified as a suspect in the rape and arson case. Baltimore police have said they actively pursue himbut they did not immediately warn the public because they did not believe he committed “random” violent acts. Attorneys for Hurley and Gilmore criticized the department’s decision, saying they believe the police did not take the case seriously because it occurred in a deprived neighborhood and the victims were people of color.
In a statement Monday, Baltimore City District Attorney Ivan Bates said he hopes the guilty plea will help victims find closure and healing in their cases.
“The horrific acts of false imprisonment, assault and attempted murder have had a lasting impact not only on the lives of the victims, but on our city as a whole,” he said. “This outcome reflects our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims and holding violent perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
