Baltimore police have issued an arrest warrant for ‘a repeat violent offender’ suspected of murdering a much-loved Forbes ’30 Under 30′ tech CEO, who was found beaten to death in her apartment building.
Pava Marie LaPere, 26, was killed by blunt force trauma inside her luxury Mount Vernon, Baltimore apartment, and her body was found by police on Monday.
Jason Deans Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore, is wanted for first degree murder, assault, reckless endangerments, as well as additional charges. Police do not believe LaPere knew him.
He was convicted ‘for a violent crime’ in 2011, with charges including attempted rape, and received a 30-year sentence. He was paroled in October 2022.
Billingsley was described as ‘a repeat violent offender’, and a suspect in at least one other case.
‘He will kill, and he will rape,’ said Richard Worley, the police commissioner, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Billingsley is ‘armed and dangerous,’ and locals should stay alert, said Worley.
‘To Jason Billingsley: I hope you are watching,’ he added.
‘Every single police officer in Baltimore and the state of Maryland is out there looking for you. We will find you, and we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law. So please turn yourself in.’
Pava Marie LaPere, 26 (left), was killed by blunt force trauma inside her luxury Mount Vernon, Baltimore apartment, and her body was found by police on Monday. On Tuesday police announced they have issued an arrest warrant for Jason Deans Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore (right)
Richard Worley, commissioner of Baltimore police, announced the name of the suspect and vowed to track him down and bring him to justice
Worley said that a special task force was working alongside U.S. Marshalls to capture Billingsley.
‘We ask that anyone who has seen him or knows him, or knows his whereabouts, to contact police immediately,’ said Worley.
‘We warn residents to be aware of your surroundings at all times. This individual will kill, and he will rape. He will do anything to cause harm.’
The mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, said it was ‘difficult to express the sorrow’ for the murder of LaPere, calling it ‘horrific, senseless and tragic’.
He said he knew LaPere, and said she ‘would help anybody she could see’.
Scott vowed that Baltimore ‘will not rest until we have him in custody’, adding that he ‘should not have been on the streets in the first place.’
Scott said he was ‘extremely frustrated’ that Billingsley was free to attack again.
‘We need to get other parts of the system to understand that these cases impact people for an eternity,’ he said.
‘Pava’s family is going to be dealing with the trauma and tragedy of their loss for the rest of their lives.
‘Police go out and do their job, as they did in this case, and then the state’s attorney goes out, does their work, and gives the conviction – the conviction should be the conviction.
‘We are tired of talking about the same people doing the same crimes over and over again.’
Scott urged journalists to look at ‘who made the decision to let this person out on parole, based on the facts of this case. Because there was no way in hell he should have been out on the streets.’
Baltimore police on Tuesday announced the identity of the man wanted for LaPere’s murder
Officers arrived around 11:34am to her apartment complex in the 300 block of West Franklin Street on Monday. LaPere lived in the building, which is the former site of the Congress Hotel, where one bedroom apartments rent for $1,500 a month
LaPere was expected to speak at an industry forum in Pennsylvania on October 2, and EcoMap Technologies publicized the event yesterday – after she was found dead
John Hopkins University graduate LaPere lived and worked in the same building where she was found murdered, according to public records.
Officers arrived around 11:34am at her apartment complex in the 300 block of West Franklin Street on Monday.
Upon arrival, they found LaPere dead. She had signs of blunt-force trauma and detectives launched a homicide investigation, police confirmed.
Worley said it was ‘a secure building,’ but would not comment on where she was found, only confirming it was ‘at that address’.
A neighbor, who lives across the hall from LaPere, said she woke up to police knocking on LaPere’s door. There was no answer, she told local news.
The medical examiner’s office took possession of the body, and an examination is pending.
LaPere, who attended John Hopkins University, was named on Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 list this year for her impact work
The tech CEO (center) is pictured with her parents, Caroline and Frank LaPere
According to investigators, there had been a missing person’s call made for her a short time before her dead body was discovered. They declined to say who made the call, because the investigation is ongoing.
LaPere, who attended John Hopkins University before starting the company, was named on Forbes’ prestigious ’30 Under 30′ list this year for her impact work.
She is the co-founder and CEO of EcoMap Technologies – which she launched at the age of 22 in her college dorm room.
As well as her Forbes recognition, she was named in Baltimore’s ’40 Under 40′ and Maryland’s ’25 Under 25′ lists for innovation.
LaPere was remembered as one of the ‘brightest stars’ in Baltimore, and a ‘compassionate visionary force’ by those who knew and worked with her.
