A Baltimore man received a life sentence for the brutal 2023 murder of tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere, authorities announced.
Jason Billingsley, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder on Friday. He received three life sentences for killing Pava LaPere, raping April Hurley, and attempting to murder Hurley and her male friend.
A career criminal, Billingsley was released from prison after a first-degree sex offense conviction before he went on a brutal rampage in Baltimore.
“This defendant should have never been released into the community following a first-degree sex offense conviction to inflict immense trauma, pain, and sorrow on so many individuals in such a short amount of time,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates.
“These cases inspired our legislation to eliminate diminution credits for first-degree sex offenders.”
On Sept. 19, 2023, Billingsley posed as maintenance staff and knocked on the door of the apartment of Hurley and her friend in the early morning hours, Bates said.
Billingsley kicked the door in, held Hurley down, sexually assaulted her and slashed her throat, the state’s attorney said.
Billingsley poured accelerant on the couple and the apartment and set it on fire, according to Bates. They both survived.
Six days later, LaPere was reported missing before cops found her body on the roof of her Mount Vernon apartment building, along with a brick.
Surveillance footage captured Pava LaPere, co-founder of EcoMap Technologies, standing up from the lobby couch at 10:32 p.m. to let Billingsley in.
They were then seen entering the elevator together.
At 11:08 p.m., Billingsley exited the building alone. The medical examiner determined her death was a homicide caused by strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Pava LaPere, once honored on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list for social impact, started her eco-focused company straight from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University.
Instagram / Pava LaPere
On Friday, April Hurley and LaPere’s family stood alongside State’s Attorney Ivan Bates at a news conference to discuss Jason Billingsley’s guilty pleas and his life sentences.
“Every day, I have flashbacks and triggers that cause terrible anxiety, pain and stress,” Hurley reportedly said.
“I will never be the same person.”
“If it weren’t for God and my will to be alive, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” she said.
