We have mentioned many times before the ‘reluctance’ of the credentialed media to report on crime these days, because, in the words of Philadelphia Inquirer publisher Elizabeth ‘Lisa’ Hughes, who has basically told readers that the newspaper she runs will not report on things which could lead to a negative image of minority populations, that the newspaper she runs will self-censor the truth in favor of “anti-racism” and social justice. We have also said, that black lives don’t matter, at least not to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which only reports on homicides in the City of Brotherly Love in which the victim is an ‘innocent,’ a ‘somebody,’ or a cute little white girl is the victim.

Well, the following killing, not in Philly, but Baltimore, made the national news, because the victim was someone of note!

Suspect in slaying of Baltimore tech CEO had warrant for alleged rape days before she died

LaPere, 26, who started a software company and was named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” was found dead at a Baltimore apartment Monday.

By Valeriya Antonshchuk, Phil Helsel, Antonio Planas and Minyvonne Burke | Thursday, September 28, 2023 | 1:30 AM EDT | Updated: 12:10 PM EDT

BALTIMORE — The man arrested in connection with the killing of Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere was suspected of raping a woman days earlier, according to police who initially withheld that information from the public.

Authorities said Thursday that Jason Billingsley was the suspect in a Sept. 19 incident at a residence on Edmondson Avenue in West Baltimore. Police said it was a “targeted” incident and they had issued an arrest warrant for Billingsley within hours.

Billingsley was being monitored and surveilled by law enforcement for his connection to the rape when LaPere was killed.

Police said they did not immediately release details about the Sept. 19 because they feared Billingsley would “go underground.”

“We knew early on that the risk was when we went public that the suspect would go underground, which is exactly what he did,” Acting Commissioner Richard Worley said.

Billingsley was ultimately arrested around 11 p.m. Wednesday without incident following a major manhunt.

Sadly enough, other than the fact that Miss LaPere was a person of note, the story was actually unremarkable, at least to someone who has paid attention to as many crime stories as I have. It becomes more remarkable further down:

“This individual will kill, and he will rape,” Police Commissioner Richard Worley has said. “He will do anything he can to cause harm.”

Billingsley is a “repeat violent offender,” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates said at a news conference while the manhunt was ongoing.

Billingsley was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, following pleading guilty to first-degree rape, online court records show. Court records show Billingsley also pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011.

It only takes my first grade arithmetic to find that 2023, the current year, minus 2015, the year in which Mr Billingsley was sentenced to 14 years in the state penitentiary, yields only 8, not 14, so I’ll ask the obvious question: why was the suspect not still behind bars on September 19, 2023, the date he (allegedly) killed Miss LaPere?

The state of Maryland already had Mr Billingsley in custody, locked up, for first-degree rape, with the not suspended part of his sentence — and one wonders why the last 16 years were suspended — nowhere close to expired, yet someone, somewhere, some way, decided that a violent felon should be turned loose!

Let me be clear here: whoever decided that Mr Billingsley should be released early is directly responsible for Miss LaPere’s murder!

According to records obtained Wednesday by NBC News from the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City, Billingsley was arrested on the rape charge following allegations he forced a woman to perform oral sex on him at knife-point in 2013. Billingsley’s accuser told police he also struck her in the face and strangled her with both hands. After he assaulted the woman, court records said, he stole $53 from her wallet.

Billingsley faced multiple charges including attempted first-degree rape, second-degree assault, armed robbery and theft of less than $100, records said.

In 2010, Billingsley was also accused of punching his ex-girlfriend in the face, pinning her down, and taking her phone that had a value of less than a $100, other court records show.

He was charged with second-degree assault, false imprisonment and theft of less than $100. Court records show he pleaded guilty to assault 2 in June 2011.

The third case stems from an arrest in 2009, in which Billingsley and another suspect are accused of robbing $10 from a man. Billingsley was charged with robbery, theft and second-degree assault, according to court records. When the alleged victim spoke to police, his nose wee bleeding, records said.

Billingsley pleaded guilty to assault 1 in that case, and according to online court records, later violated his probation.

So, he was convicted of more than just the first-degree rape in 2015: he had previous convictions for violent crimes, about which, one has to assume, the parole officials must have known before they cut this fine gentleman loose. Yet they, whomever ‘they’ are, still let him back out on the streets.

Sadly, his release appears to have been mandatory!

Why Jason Billingsley and other Maryland inmates earn early release from prison

by Justin Fenton | Wednesday, September 27, 2023 | 3:30 PM EDT| Updated: 5:50 PM EDT

In 2015, Jason Dean Billingsley, the man now being sought for the killing of tech CEO Pava LaPere, was sentenced to a prison term of 30 years. So how did he get released last fall?

Like most states, Maryland allows inmates to earn time off their sentence for good conduct and engaging in work programs, moving up their release date.

Inmates can earn up to 30 days per month under the “diminution credit” system, according to a 2020 state report. Those serving sentences for crimes of violence, large drug sentences or sex offenses can receive up to 20 days per month. They earn credit for work tasks, education and special projects, including academic programs and other work details.

Further down:

That meant he was ordered to serve 14 years, and up to the balance of the 16 years could be imposed by the judge if he violated terms of his release. According to a transcript, the judge, Emanuel Brown, said he didn’t think the sentence was long enough, but that prosecutors struck the arrangement because the victim did not want to testify.

Billingsley applied for parole and was refused in 2020; he appealed that denial, and was denied again, said David Blumberg, the longtime chair of the state parole commission.

By October 2022, he earned enough diminution credits to trigger mandatory release after serving about nine years and three months of his 14-year sentence.

9.25 years served, ÷ 14 years sentenced, = .6607, or just 66.07% of his sentence behind bars. For rape, for first degree rape.

So, who was responsible for Mr Billingsley being out on the streets? Apparently it was the state legislature, which wrote rules which allowed for such early release. I guess that we can’t blame the parole board, because they apparently had no choice in the matter. And we can’t blame Judge Brown, because the prosecutors negotiated the plea deal because the victim was unwilling to testify.

From USA Today:

Upon release, Billingsley was classified as a Tier 3 sex offender, a lifetime registrant; he had to re-register every three months, said Vernarelli. The last time Billingsley registered was on June 26. The Baltimore Police Department issued a warrant earlier this week for his failing to register and he is currently listed as non-compliant on the sex offender registry.

In other words, he became ‘non-compliant’ after he, again, allegedly, murdered Miss LaPere.

Baltimore State Attorney Ivan Bates said two of his most experienced prosecutors will take on the case against Billingsley, and that his office will seek life without the possibility of parole.

In case you are wondering, “Maryland’s legislature passed a death penalty repeal bill in March 2013. The bill was signed by Governor Martin O’Malley on May 2, 2013.” Life without parole is the maximum to which Mr Billingsley can be sentenced.

But let’s be clear here: if Mr Billingsley is indeed the man who murdered Miss LaPere, the system which treated him leniently enough that he could earn early release credits is responsible. That needs to be tightened up.