Jason Billingsley Baltimore repeat violent sex violent offender id as prime suspect in the bludgeoning murder of Pava LaPere Ecomap Tech CEO who was released early on parole in 2022 after serving only 7 years of a 30 year jail sentence.
The prime suspect in the murder of Baltimore tech CEO Pava Marie LaPere has been identified as a repeat violent sexual offender who was let out of jail early after making parole in 2022.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Jason Dean Billingsley, 32, one day after the discovery of the Ecomap Tech CEO’s bludgeoned ‘partially clothed’ body at her Baltimore apartment, Monday.
Prosecutors on Tuesday afternoon warned that Billingsley, a convicted sex offender, 32, has a history of rape and violence upon issuing a first degree murder warrant for his arrest.
Rising Tech CEO star did not know her assailant
Billingsley faces charges of first-degree murder, assault and reckless endangerment in the killing of 26-year-old Pava LaPere, a rising star in tech who made the prestigious Forbes ’30 Under 30′ list.
Pava’s body was found in her apartment in the Bromo Arts District, a section of Downtown Baltimore, WBFF reported. Police do not believe the CEO knew the suspect, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Ecomap Tech, the company that Pava led, makes data maps that help customers better understand what’s happening in various social and business ecosystems.
The company is located on a different floor of the building where LaPere lived and employs about 30 people.
Two weeks before the CEO was murdered, she posted a batch of photos on Instagram showing some of her favorite moments from the past year.
‘Each year I get the awesome chance to visit 20+ cities,’ LaPere said. ‘But before I get too deep into this travel season, some shots from my favorite place with my favorite people.’
Linked to one other active case days earlier
Announcing the warrant for Billingsley’s capture, Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the ‘repeat violent offender’ is a suspect in ‘at least one other case,’ without elaborating.
‘BPD’s Special Investigations Section is working to determine potential connections to Billingsley and other cases,’ police stated.
Detectives are probing possible links to an assault and arson attack in West Baltimore on September 19 that left two people in critical condition and a child in the hospital, the dailymail reported.
A police source said the Billingsley had initially targeted a female victim, sexually assaulting her and slashing at her throat with a knife.
‘He will kill, and he will rape,’ said Richard Worley, the police commissioner of the prime suspect during 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.’
Repeat violent offender crime rap sheet
Billingsley has a long criminal history, dating back to 2009 when he was arrested for robbery and assault in the second degree.
He was arrested in 2011, and again in 2013, for multiple charges to include sex offense, 2nd degree assault charges and robbery.
In 2015 he was given a 30-year prison sentence, with all but 14 years suspended, and served time at Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown.
He was freed in October 2022, after serving only seven years.
It was unclear why he was released so swiftly.
Baltimore’s top prosecutor at the time of his release was the Soros-backed progressive Marilyn Mosby, who lost a Democratic primary in July 2022.
Why was repeat violent sex offender suspect released early?
Worley on Tuesday 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.’
