Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking turn of events on the night of September 19, 2023, April Hurley and her friend, Jonte Gilmore, fell victim to a horrific attack in Hurley’s Upton home allegedly committed by Jason Billingsley. Hurley’s throat was slashed, she was tortured, and sexually assaulted before being set on fire along with Gilmore. The pair miraculously survived the ordeal after receiving emergency care at Shock Trauma.
The nightmare continued in Baltimore when tech founder Pava LaPere was discovered dead on the rooftop of her Mount Vernon apartment building six days later. She had been strangled and brutally beaten to death. Following LaPere’s death, Billingsley was publicly identified as a threat to the public and was apprehended in Bowie, Maryland, on September 27.
As a registered sex offender and convicted felon, Billingsley worked as a maintenance worker for Eden’s Homes and Property Pals, the companies managing and owning Hurley’s residence. Hurley is now seeking compensatory damages through a lawsuit against the companies and Billingsley.
During a press conference, Hurley emotionally expressed, “The fact that I’m sitting here in front of you today is honestly a miracle. Sometimes it’s still unbelievable I’m here. Jason Billingsley literally tried to take my life. This could have been prevented.”
Hurley’s legal team alleges that Eden’s Homes and Property Pals are vicariously liable for the false imprisonment, assault, and battery of Hurley under respondeat superior. They argue that the companies were negligent in their hiring practices, failing to conduct a background check on Billingsley that would have revealed his violent criminal history.
Malcolm P. Ruff, a trial attorney and associate at Murphy, Falcon, and Murphy, emphasized, “The problem that we have with what happened here and why it was so preventable is that it’s clear to us that Eden’s Homes and Property Pals did not look into Mr. Billingsley’s background. He was a repeat violent offender.”
Additionally, Hurley’s counsel points out the lack of Maryland law requiring employers to conduct background checks on employees. They argue that despite this legal gap, Eden’s Homes and Property Pals had a duty to investigate Billingsley, given his access to residents’ homes.
Hurley’s pursuit of justice includes seeking in excess of $75,000 from the defendants. Despite efforts to obtain a response, the AFRO received no comment from Eden’s Homes and Property Pals.