Lawsuit alleges negligence in hiring of maintenance man accused of torturing resident

BALTIMORE (AP) — April Hurley’s attacker entered her apartment after identifying himself as the building maintenance man — a job he should never have obtained, according to a lawsuit filed Monday that accuses the property owner and management company of engaging in negligent hiring practices.

Once inside the apartment, Jason Billingsley tortured Hurley and her companion, Jonte Gilmore, according to police and the lawsuit. The victims escaped by climbing out a basement window after being set on fire, the complaint says.

Days later came the brutal killing of Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere in September, which police also linked to Billingsley. He was ultimately arrested and charged in both cases.

But what if he’d never had the opportunity to commit that first attack, attorneys for Hurley and Gilmore asked during a news conference Monday morning.