Baltimore landlords found liable for hiring a sex offender who set tenants on fire

BALTIMORE (AP) — Landlords in Baltimore are being held liable for hiring a convicted sex offender with a violent criminal record who then attacked two tenants and set them on fire, with a jury awarding the victims $21.5 million.

The same man murdered a tech CEO just days after attacking April Hurley and Jonte Gilmore in their home in 2023, which he was able to enter by misrepresenting himself as building maintenance. The lawsuit argued the companies neglected basic background vetting for Jason Billingsley, who was allowed to live on the companies’ property and to perform paid upkeep tasks.

The jury awarded the money, including $10 million in punitive damages, last week in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

“I’m just thankful that me and Jonte survived that day and that we made it this far to fight for this ruling,” said Hurley said in a news release following the decision. “No amount of money could possibly change what happened, but it definitely sends a message.”

Hurley was raped and badly wounded in the attack, which happened in a rooming house in West Baltimore’s “Black Butterfly,” an area long marked by racial segregation and underinvestment. Advocates said the case underscored the compounded risks faced by tenants in historically neglected Black communities.

The apartment building where Hurley and Gilmore were attacked is owned by Property Pals LLC and managed by Eden’s Homes LLC, according to the lawsuit. The defendants have signaled that they plan to appeal the civil judgment. Melody Haynes, who represented Eden’s Homes and Property Pals, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday.

Billingsley has since pleaded guilty to the attack and to killing Pava LaPere, who founded a tech startup from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University. Billingsley is now serving multiple life sentences.

The Baltimore Banner reported that Curtis Haynes, owner of Eden’s Homes and co-owner of Property Pals, testified that he met Billingsley at a bar and let him live without paying rent in a different apartment. Haynes testified that he paid Billingsley to cut the grass and do other maintenance jobs but did not check his background. Haynes also disputed that Billingsley was an employee.

Billingsly’s criminal record included sex offenses and violence. He was released from prison in October 2022 after serving a shortened sentence for a 2013 rape because he earned good behavior credits behind bars.

The night of the attack, Billingsley identified himself as building maintenance and said there was a flood in the kitchen, according to the complaint. He overpowered the two renters and, after sexually assaulting Hurley and slitting her throat, set both of them on fire, according to police and the lawsuit.

LaPere, named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for social impact, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma just two days later. In a bail review hearing following Billingsley’s arrest, prosecutors said he had admitted to beating LaPere with a brick.