Murder, Rape and Arson Defendant on Track for Late August Trials

By Sophia Strocko - June 14, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

The upcoming trials of Jason Billingsley, a 32-year-old Baltimore man accused of murder, rape and a slew of other charges in connection to two September 2023 incidents, are still on track for an  Aug. 26 start date after a June 13 pre-conference trial. 

Billingsly is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to injure for the Sept. 22, 2023 murder of 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere. 

Billingsly is also charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of attempted second-degree murder, five counts of first-degree assault, two counts of firearm use in a felony violent crime, two counts of false imprisonment and one count each of first-degree rape, second-degree rape, thrid-degree sex offense, home invasion, first-degree arson, possession of a deadly weapon with the intent to injure and firearm possession with a felony conviction in connection to a Sept. 19, 2023 incident on the 800 block of Edmonson Avenue

During the pre-trial conference in front of Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Taylor, Jr., Billingsley’s defense attorney, Jason Rodriguez, explained that the only pre-trial motion that he intends to file during the July 18 motions hearing is to suppress an undisclosed statement related to the murder of LaPere. 

There will be no challenge to Billingsley’s competency during the hearing. The prosecution currently intends to file no motions. 

Counsel also confirmed that the trial for LaPere’s murder as well as the trial for the Sept. 19, 2023 incident will occur back-to-back starting on Aug. 26, beginning with the case for the Sept. 19, 2023 incident. Each trial is expected to last about five days, including deliberations. 

Billingsley was arrested on Sept. 27, 2023 in connection to both the murder of LaPere and the Sept. 19, 2023 incident on the 800 block of Edmondson Avenue. In both cases, Billingsley was allegedly connected to the victims: Billingsley was a maintenance worker at LaPere’s apartment who held keys to the building, and he reportedly knew the victim of the Edmondson Avenue incident. 

Both September 2023 incidents occurred while Billingsley was on probation after being convicted in October 2015 for attempted rape, robbery, second-degree assault and false imprisonment. Billingsley had accepted a plea deal for 30 years in prison, suspending all by 14, with five years of supervised probation for first-degree sex offense, but was released early in October 2022 after accumulating “good time credits,” earned by prisoners in the Maryland Department of Corrections for each month without an infraction.