A Baltimore jury awarded $21 million to a man and a woman who were attacked days before tech CEO Pava LaPere was murdered in 2023 by Jason Billingsley.

April Hurley and Jonte Gilmore sued the property company, Eden's Homes LLC, and Property Pals LLC, for hiring the ex-convict as a maintenance worker before the violent attacks. They will each receive more than $10 million.

The lawsuit claims the landlord companies didn't properly take steps in their hiring process, which includes conducting a background check.

Attorney Malcolm P. Ruff -- from the law firm Murphy, Falcon, and Murphy -- said the companies failed "utterly to vet, to do any background research on Jason Billingsley, a terrible, terrible repeat violent sex offender."

Ruff said Billingsley used his position as a maintenance wo

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