11-4-2011 Ohio:LEBANON — Suspected serial rapist Billy Balidbid, convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, committed suicide in his cell at Lebanon Correctional Institution, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Balidbid, 27, of Fairborn, had been serving an 18-year prison sentence since Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Gregory F. Singer sentenced him in February.
Balidbid, who hanged himself in his cell, had been in segregation since Nov. 1 for fighting, said JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the corrections department. Prison staff found him about 2 a.m., and Turtle Creek EMS pronounced him dead at 3:05 a.m.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction in state prisons, will investigate Balidbid’s death, and the prison will do an internal review, though there are no signs that staff violated any policies or procedures, Smith said.
Balidbid had been in trouble at least one other time. He was in segregation from July 12 through July 21 for refusing to go back to his cell, Smith said.
A lawsuit filed by the girl against two Belmont High School officials, claiming they were negligent in allowing her to walk home after she was suspended the day of the attack, is still pending.
Balidbid, a native of the Philippines, was to be deported after he served his prison term.
At sentencing, Singer said the girl experienced “the worst nightmare.” Beth Henterly, a victim-witness advocate with the prosecutor’s office, told Singer the victim had tried to write a victim-impact statement, but found it to be too distressing.
Balidbid apologized to the “girl I hurt” and her parents. But Singer said the pre-sentencing investigation, done after Balidbid’s guilty pleas, showed that Balidbid still claimed the encounter was consensual.
The judge also declined to give Balidbid concurrent sentences, ordering him to serve the 10 years on the rape charge and the 8 years for the kidnapping consecutively.
“There has been no remorse from the defendant in this case,” Singer said. “The court finds that concurrent sentences would not adequately punish the defendant.”
Balidbid had been before Singer for a pretrial hearing Jan. 13 when he pleaded guilty to both indicted charges: rape and kidnapping. In exchange, assistant county prosecutors agreed not to file charges stemming from attacks on several prostitutes.
The indicted charges all concerned the 15-year-old girl, who was not a prostitute. Balidbid attacked her Sept. 17, 2010 in a vacant house at 156 Boltin St., according to police.
With the help of the girl, police developed a composite sketch that was released to the public. Several tips came in, including some from prostitutes who said they had been beaten and abused by Balidbid, according to the prosecutor’s office.
From interviews with other prostitutes, police got a clear picture of where the man liked to pick up prostitutes, though they did not have his name. The Special Victims Unit and Vice Unit detectives set up a sting.
About 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 8, Balidbid drove up to an officer disguised as a prostitute and detectives arrested him.
Police arrested Balidbid on Oct. 8, 2010 and he remained in Montgomery County Jail until he was sentenced.
After five hours of questioning, Balidbid gave investigators enough information to connect him to at least five rapes dating back to early summer, police said in October. ..Source.. by Lou Grieco
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