In connection with the killing of 26-year-old IT CEO Pava LaPere, who was discovered in her apartment building on Monday, Baltimore police are hunting for a “extremely dangerous” suspect.
Acting On Tuesday, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley announced that the suspect in LaPere’s death, 32-year-old Jason Dean Billingsley, should be considered armed and dangerous. Billingsley is wanted on suspicion of first-degree murder, assault, and other offenses.
LaPere, co-founder of the budding startup EcoMap Technologies, was reported missing on Monday morning. Worley reported that police were called to an apartment building in the downtown area some hours later, when they discovered LaPere with indications of blunt-force trauma to her head.
The young computer executive was remembered as a creative leader who was dedicated to assisting those around her, and her death is being lamented.
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Someone would have had to “allow the (suspect) in the building,” as Worley put it, for her to be able to enter the building where she was discovered.
According to Worley’s news conference on Tuesday, detectives think Billingsley is still in the Baltimore area and are requesting anybody with information on him or his location to call 911 immediately.
“This individual will kill, and he will rape,” Worley warned, referring to the suspect’s violent past. Simply put, “he will do anything he can to cause harm.”
According to a news statement advertising a $6,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or charges, the individual is also sought in connection with an attempted murder, arson, and rape that occurred in Baltimore last week.
A man and a woman are in critical condition at a local hospital, according to police. Their circumstances were improved the next day to “stable.”
According to the news release, officials have discovered evidence tying Billingsley to LaPere’s killing and the September 19 case. The suspect may be armed, according to the police.
Mayor Brandon Scott describes Billingsley as “extremely dangerous.”
According to NBC News, Billingsley’s mother phoned him on Wednesday and persuaded him to quit up.
Scarlett Billingsley said NBC News, “I told him to turn himself in because they were going to murder him.”
She told NBC that she had no clue if her child, who visited her on Monday for a few minutes, knew LaPere. On Monday, the mother reported that her son was in possession of a handgun, which she suspects he was attempting to sell.
The suspect has been at large since October.
Jason Billingsley, according to court papers, pled guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011. In 2015, he pled guilty to a first-degree sex felony and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with credit for 16 months previously served.
Billingsley was released from prison on October 2, 2022. According to a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Billingsley was not paroled, but rather released “on mandatory supervision as required by statute,” as reported by The New York Times.
Since his release from prison, Billingsley has been classified as a sex offender in Maryland’s database.
In Baltimore, no one was more ‘visionary’ than LaPere.
LaPere’s premature death surprised family, friends, and coworkers in the local IT community. They believe she was a respected leader whose unwavering dedication to her profession aided EcoMap’s quick rise.
Pava’s “boundless passion for EcoMap’s mission was foundational to our success,” according to EcoMap, which lauded her “visionary leadership” and “unwavering commitment” to supporting inclusivity, amplifying ecosystems, and building Baltimore’s digital community.
LaPere co-founded EcoMap with current Chief Operating Officer Sherrod Davis when she was 21 years old and a student at Johns Hopkins University, according to the company’s website. The startup is riding the AI wave and employs little over 30 people. The firm says that the artificial intelligence (AI) technology it provides, which include a customizable chatbot, will improve client-business relations.
In August, the company disclosed $8 million in fundraising.
According to the mayor of Baltimore, LaPere was not only a driving force behind EcoMap, but he also worked diligently to assist his fellow city citizens.
Scott remembered on how he had met Pava, a young woman who was a “very talented, devoted Baltimorean” and “would help anyone she saw.”
EcoMap announced in June that it had secured $3.5 million, and CEO and co-founder LaPere stated at the time that the company was “particularly proud of the number of investors from our hometown of Baltimore.”
LaPere stated at the time that “we are passionately committed to making an impact on the city and are proud to be part of its growing tech ecosystem.”
Delali Dzirasa, CEO of Fearless, Inc., told CNN that LaPere is well-liked in Baltimore.
Dzirasa remarked that no one on Earth could ever tell Pava she couldn’t do something because of her boundless potential. “Even though she was a force, she always made space for other people,” he said.
A friend told CNN that LaPere was a “beacon of light for the community.”
Nicole Foster, co-founder of Cajou Creamery and a friend of LaPere, told CNN that she hadn’t seen LaPere in approximately a week. Foster and LaPere have been friends for over two years.
“She was a friend, a cheerleader, and a customer for us,” Foster said. She rallied her crew at one time, and they dropped everything to help Cajou Creamery with some ingenious fundraising. That describes her personality and the type of leader she would have become. She campaigned for the people’s power to improve Baltimore.
On Wednesday night, a vigil will be held to “celebrate Pava’s extraordinary life and the profound impact she had on our community,” according to a social media post by EcoMap.
Mitchell McCluskey, Caroll Alvarado, Sara Smart, and Steve Almasy collaborated on this CNN report.
