
According to police, a Baltimore man who admitted to the 2023 murder of software entrepreneur Pava LaPere was given three life terms on Friday.
Prior to killing LaPere, 26, Jason Billingsley had been released from jail early following a conviction for sexual assault. He had raped another lady and attempted to kill both her male friend and the victim. State law was altered as a result of the crimes.
According to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney, Billingsley, 33, entered a guilty plea to two counts of attempted murder and first-degree murder. He was given three life terms, two of which must be served consecutively.
“Let me say this clearly: Mr. Billingsley should never see daylight again,” Ivan J. Bates, the state’s attorney, stated during a press conference.
When Billingsley knocked on April Hurley’s apartment door on September 19, he introduced himself as a maintenance worker. According to investigators, he then kicked it in and threatened to shoot her and her friend.
Hurley was sexually abused by Billingsley, who also slit her throat while shackling her. Authorities stated that he doused them and the apartment with accelerant, causing it to catch fire.
Coworkers reported LaPere missing one week later, on September 25. Later, her body was discovered on the apartment building’s roof in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. According to authorities, surveillance footage saw her allowing Billingsley to enter the lobby and the two of them riding an elevator.
Prosecutors claim that Billingsley is later observed exiting the facility by himself after wiping his hands on his shorts.
At a press conference held on Friday to announce the guilty pleas and life sentences, Hurley and LaPere’s families were there beside the prosecutor.
“I would not be standing here right now if it weren’t for God and my desire to live,” Hurley stated. She claimed that she now experiences continual terror and finds going out in public challenging.
“I experience memories and triggers every day, which are incredibly painful, stressful, and anxious,” she stated. “I’ll never be the same individual.”
According to the LaPere family, the 342 days that have passed since LaPere’s murder have all been traumatic and challenging.
It’s possible that justice was done today. However, it will never be able to take the place of Pava’s influence, heal the pain, or give her the full life she so well earned “Frank LaPere, her father, stated. “The full life that every innocent person deserves.”
LaPere served as the CEO and co-founder of EcoMap Technologies, a company that offers a platform for organizing data to produce insights and expansion prospects.
Forbes listed her as one of its “30 Under 30,” emphasizing her societal effect.
Following his 2015 conviction for first-degree sexual assault committed in 2013, Billingsley was granted an early release from jail; his sentence of 30 years, of which 14 were suspended, was imposed.
He was freed from jail five years ahead of schedule in 2022 thanks to “diminution credits,” which let inmates leave early for things like good behavior. Records indicate that the sentence began on the day of his arrest and incarceration in 2013.
The Pava Marie LaPere Act, which was passed by Maryland this year, does away with reduction credits for those found guilty of first-degree sex offenses.
According to LaPere’s family, other states ought to enact such legislation prohibiting first-degree sexual offenders from receiving reduction credits.
Billingsley received two life sentences, one following the other. The life sentence for the first-degree murder charge is to be served consecutively, while the two life sentences for the attempted murder are to be served simultaneously. According to Bates, Billingsley has also broken his parole.