Current:Home > InvestBaltimore man accused of killing tech CEO pleads guilty to attempted murder in separate case -Summit Capital Strategies
Baltimore man accused of killing tech CEO pleads guilty to attempted murder in separate case
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 08:39:23
BALTIMORE (AP) — A man charged with killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere last September pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of attempted murder in a separate arson and home invasion case that took place just days earlier.
Jason Billingsley, 33, entered the guilty plea instead of going to trial Monday morning. Officials said the plea agreement includes two life sentences to be served simultaneously.
Billingsley is scheduled to appear in court again Friday to face charges in LaPere’s killing, an apparently random attack in which she was raped and beaten to death on the rooftop of her downtown apartment building.
In the home invasion case, police say Billingsley gained entry to an apartment building by identifying himself as the building 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 several times and attacked her with a knife before setting both victims on fire, leaving them with serious burns, police wrote.
Officers found a backpack and other items in the bushes outside the house, including duct tape, a bleach container, gas can and lighter, the warrant says.
The victims in that case, April Hurley and Jonte Gilmore, filed a lawsuit earlier this year accusing the property owner and management company of engaging in negligent hiring practices.
Billingsley was released from prison in October 2022 after serving a shortened sentence for a 2013 rape because he earned good behavior credits behind bars.
LaPere, who founded a tech startup from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University and was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for social impact, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. In a bail review hearing following Billingsley’s arrest, prosecutors said he had admitted to beating LaPere with a brick. He gained entry to her downtown Baltimore apartment building after waving her over to its glass door, but there’s no reason to believe they knew each other, according to police.
Her body was found on the rooftop six days after the attack on Hurley and Gilmore.
Billingsley had been quickly identified as a suspect in the rape and arson case. Baltimore police have said they were actively pursuing him, but they didn’t immediately alert the public because they didn’t think he was committing “random” acts of violence. Attorneys for Hurley and Gilmore criticized the department’s decision, saying they believe police failed to take the case seriously because it occurred in a disenfranchised neighborhood and the victims were people of color.
In a statement Monday, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said he hopes the guilty plea will bring closure and healing to the victims.
“The horrific acts of false imprisonment, assault and attempted murder have left a lasting impact on the lives of not only the victims but our city as a whole,” he said. “This outcome reflects our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims and holding violent offenders accountable for their actions.”
veryGood! (27)
Related
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Biden’s Pause of New Federal Oil and Gas Leases May Not Reduce Production, but It Signals a Reckoning With Fossil Fuels
- Is Jenna Ortega Returning to You? Watch the Eyebrow-Raising Teaser for Season 5
- 4.9 million Fabuloso bottles are recalled over the risk of bacteria contamination
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Get $115 Worth of MAC Cosmetics Products for Just $61 Before This Deal Disappears
- Southwest's COO will tell senators 'we messed up' over the holiday travel meltdown
- Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers Settle Divorce 3 Years After Breakup
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- How to avoid being scammed when you want to donate to a charity
Ranking
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- COVID test kits, treatments and vaccines won't be free to many consumers much longer
- Shoppers Are Ditching Foundation for a Tarte BB Cream: Don’t Miss This 55% Off Deal
- Eggs prices drop, but the threat from avian flu isn't over yet
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Researchers looking for World War I-era minesweepers in Lake Superior find a ship that sank in 1879
- Inside Clean Energy: What’s a Virtual Power Plant? Bay Area Consumers Will Soon Find Out.
- In the Arctic, Less Sea Ice and More Snow on Land Are Pushing Cold Extremes to Eastern North America
Recommendation
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
Warming Trends: Cruise Ship Impacts, a Vehicle Inside the Hurricane’s Eye and Anticipating Climate Tipping Points
Southwest's COO will tell senators 'we messed up' over the holiday travel meltdown
Is Temu legit? Customers are fearful of online scams
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Not Waiting for Public Comment, Trump Administration Schedules Lease Sale for Arctic Wildlife Refuge
SNAP recipients will lose their pandemic boost and may face other reductions by March
Study: Commuting has an upside and remote workers may be missing out