Authorities have apprehended the suspected killer of Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere, according to a U.S. Marshal, and the Baltimore police planned to announce the arrest of murder suspect Jason Billingsley in a news conference.
Jason Billingsley, a 32-year-old man, had been wanted on a first-degree murder warrant in connection with the killing of Pava LaPere, the CEO and founder of the software startup EcoMap Technologies. LaPere, 26, was discovered dead with apparent blunt-force injuries at an apartment earlier this week.
A manhunt was launched by the police and the U.S. Marshals Service for Billingsley, who was also sought in connection with an unrelated attempted murder and rape earlier in the month. Authorities had offered a $6,000 reward for information leading to his capture and warned that he was armed and dangerous.
Billingsley had a history of violent offenses, having previously pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense and serving prison time for the crime. Police had described him as a “repeat violent offender.”
Details surrounding LaPere’s death have not been released, but her company, EcoMap Technologies, focuses on improving information ecosystems’ accessibility and efficiency. Pava LaPere was recognized on Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list this year for her work, with clients including Meta and the T. Rowe Price Foundation.
LaPere, originally from Tucson, Arizona, moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University and decided to stay in the city. Colleagues remembered her as an essential figure in Baltimore’s small tech community.
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