BALTIMORE — A Baltimore man responsible for a deadly string of violence last September just pleaded guilty to a pair of heinous crimes.
Jason Billingsley is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars for the brutal attempted murder of April Hurley and her boyfriend, Jonte Gilmore, at their apartment on Edmondson Avenue.
According to charging documents, Billingsley was a maintenance worker at the building and targeted the couple for a reason that's yet to be revealed.
On September 19, Billingsley forced his way into the home, and bounded Hurley and Gilmore at gunpoint.
He then slashed Hurley's throat and raped her, before setting Gilmore and her on fire. Each suffered second and third degree burns to the body.
Detectives identified Billingsley as the suspect through surveillance footage and several pieces of evidence left behind at the scene, including a knife, handcuffs, duct tape, and hoodie that Billingsley reportedly wore the day prior.
“We are relieved that Jason Billingsley pleaded guilty today and will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. Our client, April Hurley, is now one step closer to justice for the brutal attack in which she was raped, tortured, set on fire, had her throat slashed, and was left to die—a horrific assault that has forever changed her life," said her attorneys from the law firm Murphy, Falcon and Murphy. "No sentence can undo the trauma she endured—not only at the hands of Jason Billingsley, but also due to the negligence of those who were responsible for property where she lived. "
Hurley and Gilmore have since sued filed a civil lawsuit against their complex's managing and operating companies, Eden’s Homes and Property Pals, accusing them of failing to properly vet Billingsley before hiring him.
The couple wasn't Billingsley's first or last victims.
Just three days later he allegedly killed 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere inside her Mount Vernon apartment complex.
RELATED: Manhunt over - Jason Billingsley arrested at train station for Pava LaPere murder
LaPare had been reported missing and was later found dead atop the roof of the Congress apartments on W. Franklin Street.
The medical examiner said she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.
Surveillance footage showed LaPere letting Billingsley into the building and getting on an elevator together.
Billingsley was spotted in the stairwell leaving after about half-an-hour.
Official sentencing for the Hurley and Gilmore case is scheduled for August 30.
“Today’s plea ensures that a dangerous individual will spend the rest of his life behind bars, unable to harm anyone else. 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," said Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates. "This outcome reflects our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims and holding violent offenders accountable for their actions. Our hearts continue to be with the survivors, and we hope this verdict brings them, their loved ones, and their community some measure of closure and healing.”
Thus far Billingsley has not agreed to a plea deal for LaPere's murder.
"It has been 339 days since our daughter and sister, Pava Marie LaPere, was murdered," LaPere's family said in a statement. "Each one of those days has been extremely painful and difficult to endure. Justice may be served, but it will never fill the void, erase the grief, or replace the impact Pava would have had if given the full life that she deserved."
The family said they plan on attending the next court hearing for their case which is also this Friday.
