Current:Home > reviewsMan pleads guilty to killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur in attack that shocked the city -Edge Finance Strategies
Man pleads guilty to killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur in attack that shocked the city
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:41:52
BALTIMORE (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Friday to killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere last September in an apparently random attack that shocked the city.
Jason Billingsley, 33, entered the guilty plea instead of going to trial Friday morning and was sentenced to life. He also pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of attempted murder in a separate arson and home invasion case that took place just days before LaPere was found dead on the rooftop of her downtown Baltimore apartment building.
Officials said the Monday plea agreement included two other life sentences.
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 after being sexually assaulted. She was remembered as someone who remained focused on building community and using entrepreneurship to create meaningful social change, even as her national profile rose.
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.
LaPere’s killing also prompted criticism of police for their response.
Her body was found six days after the home invasion case in which police say Billingsley gained entry into an apartment building by identifying himself as the building maintenance man. According to his 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 slit her throat with a knife before dousing both victims in liquid and setting them on fire, leaving them with serious burns, police wrote.
Billingsley had been quickly identified as a suspect in that case. Baltimore police have said they were actively pursuing him, but they did not immediately alert the public because they didn’t think he was committing “random” acts of violence.
The victims 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.
Earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers heard testimony for LaPere’s parents and passed a bill to end good behavior credits for anyone imprisoned for first-degree rape. The new law goes into effect Oct. 1.
veryGood! (15517)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Niners, Jordan Mason offer potentially conflicting accounts of when he knew he'd start
- Taylor Swift's response to presidential debate? She quickly endorsed Kamala Harris.
- The SKIMS Push-Up Bra Hailed as “Better Than a Boob Job” Just Got Even Better With This New Launch
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Get 2 Benefit Porefessional Primers for the Price of 1: Blur Pores and Create a Photo-Filter Effect
- Prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme heat, critics say
- Prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme heat, critics say
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Adopted. Abused. Abandoned. How a Michigan boy's parents left him in Jamaica
Ranking
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- BOYNEXTDOOR members talk growth on '19.99' release: 'It's like embarking on our adulthood'
- Ex-CIA officer who spied for China faces prison time -- and a lifetime of polygraph tests
- USPS is ending discounts for shipping consolidators that tap into its vast delivery network
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner finalize divorce one year after split
- Frankie Beverly, Soul Singer of “Before I Let Go” and Founder of Maze, Dead at 77
- 2024 lottery winners: How many people have won Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots?
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
A day that shocked the world: Photos capture stunned planet after 9/11 terror attacks
New Jersey Pinelands forest fire is mostly contained, official says
Personal assistant convicted of dismembering his boss is sentenced to 40 years to life
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
What to know about the panic buttons used by staff members at Apalachee High School
Hawaii voters asked to ensure protection of same-sex marriage
Amid fears of storm surge and flooding, Hurricane Francine takes aim at Louisiana coast