Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Tech CEO Pava LaPere

A man pleaded guilty on Friday to the first-degree murder of tech CEO Pava LaPere.

LaPere, 26, was found dead on the rooftop of her downtown Baltimore apartment last September. She died from strangulation and blunt force trauma after being sexually assaulted in an apparent random attack.

Jason Billingsley, 33, pleaded guilty to murdering LaPere on Friday morning and will serve life in prison.

“Let me be clear, Mr. Billingsley should never see the light of day again,” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said at a news conference following Billingsley’s hearing.

LaPere founded a tech startup, EcoMap Technologies, from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University. EcoMap provides local ecosystem and nature information to the public. LaPere was also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, which showcases 30 notable people under 30 years old.

“Pava dedicated her life to a vision to improve Baltimore,” her close friend Shrenik Jaim told the court on Friday. “We’ll never know what she could have achieved.”

Frank LaPere, Pava LaPere’s father, said that “all our lives have changed,” at Friday’s hearing, telling Billingsley that his traumatic childhood “did not give you the right” to commit the crimes he committed.

Billingsley told the judge on Friday that he holds himself “fully accountable” for his actions.

What Happened to LaPere?

LaPere first encountered Billingsley while she was walking home from a local arts festival, prosecutors said in court on Friday, citing surveillance film. Prosecutors said Billingsley followed LaPere and approached her building shortly after she went inside and sat down in the lobby.

Police said Billingsley went inside LaPere’s apartment building after waving her over to its glass door.

Billingsley admitted to beating LaPere with a brick, according to prosecutors.

The two were believed to have been strangers, police said.

Billingsley’s Criminal History

Billingsley was released from prison early in October 2022 after serving time for a 2013 rape. His sentence was shortened because of good behavior.

On Monday, Billingsley pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in a separate case.

Just six days before LaPere’s body was found, Billingsley entered an apartment building, identifying himself as the building’s maintenance worker, police said. He then pointed a gun at a woman inside and restrained her and her boyfriend with duct tape. Billingsley raped the woman multiple times and attacked her with a knife, according to police records. He set the woman and her boyfriend on fire and they were left with serious burns, police said.

Baltimore police were quick to identify Billingsley as a suspect in the case and were actively pursuing him but did not immediately alert the public because they didn’t believe he was committing “random” acts of violence.

The city’s law enforcement was criticized for their handling of the case and the victims filed a lawsuit in April, accusing the property owner and management company of the apartment building of negligent hiring practices after the companies allegedly failed to complete an appropriate background check on Billingsley.

Meanwhile, Maryland lawmakers have passed a bill to end good behavior credits for anyone imprisoned for first-degree rape, which will go into effect on October 1.

Billingsley was sentenced to a total of three life terms. The first two life terms will be served simultaneously.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.