The prime suspect in the brutal murder of Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere may have struck days earlier in a stabbing sexual assault and arson attack that left two people fighting for their lives, can exclusively reveal.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Jason Billingsley on Tuesday afternoon, strongly warning the public that the convicted sex offender, 32, has a history of rape and violence.
Billingsley is charged with first-degree murder, assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the killing of 26-year-old LaPere, a rising tech star who made Forbes’ prestigious “30 Under 30” list.
The 1.80 meter tall, 135 kilogram suspect was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 and was released in October 2022 by the progressive, George Soros-backed District Attorney Marilyn Mosby – just seven years after his conviction. It is unclear why he was released so quickly.
LaPere was found dead in her Baltimore apartment Monday morning. She suffered blunt force injuries that a senior officer described to as “absolutely brutal – some of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Pava Marie LaPere, 26 (left), was killed by blunt force trauma in her luxury apartment in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, and her body was found by police on Monday. On Tuesday, police announced they had issued an arrest warrant for Jason Deans Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore (right).
Billingsley has a criminal record since 2009 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison – but was released after just seven years
Marilyn Mosby was the top prosecutor in Baltimore in October 2022, when Billingsley was released
In announcing the arrest warrant for Billingsley, acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the “repeat violent offender” was a suspect in “at least one additional case,” without elaborating.
“BPD’s Special Investigations Division is working to determine possible connections to Billingsley and other cases,” police said.
can reveal that investigators are investigating 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 hospital.
The incident began when firefighters responded to smoke coming from the basement of a townhouse at 9:24 a.m.
They rescued a man and a woman, both 26, who had burns and “multiple injuries,” and a five-year-old child who was suffering from smoke inhalation.
A police source told that the attacker initially targeted the woman, sexually assaulted her and slit her throat with a knife.
When asked if Billingsley was considered a suspect, a Baltimore Police Department spokeswoman told : “We cannot confirm that.”
She said of the fire incident: “Officers located a 26-year-old man and an adult woman suffering from multiple injuries.” On the upper floor of the home, firefighters found a five-year-old child who was uninjured.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported the victims to area hospitals, where both the adult male and female were in critical condition.
Billingsley was described Tuesday as a “repeat violent offender” and a suspect in at least one other case.
“He will kill and rape,” Police Commissioner Richard Worley said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Billingsley is “armed and dangerous” and locals should remain vigilant, Worley said.
“To Jason Billingsley: I hope you’re watching,” he added.
“Every single police officer in Baltimore and the state of Maryland is looking for you.” We will find you and prosecute you using every legal means possible. So please turn yourself in.’
Billingsley has a long criminal history dating back to 2009, when he was arrested on charges of robbery and second-degree assault.
He was arrested in 2011 and again in 2013 on multiple charges, including sex offenses, second-degree assault and robbery.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 14 years suspended, and served time at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown.
It is unclear what he was detained for.
Mosby is no longer the prosecutor in Baltimore after being replaced in January 2023 by Ivan Bates, who on his first day in office reversed his policy of no prosecution for minor crimes such as drug possession, prostitution and trespassing.
Mosby ran her re-election campaign based on her track record of reducing the number of people behind bars, holding police officers accountable for their actions and reviewing convictions for possible exoneration.
When she took office, she fired a long list of experienced prosecutors, including a 20-year veteran who was in the middle of an armed robbery trial against a violent repeat offender.
Instead, it hired young, inexperienced lawyers to fill the positions, MetroVoice News reported.
In January 2022, Mosby was charged with perjury and false mortgage applications for allegedly submitting false applications to withdraw retirement funds to purchase a vacation home in Florida.
Mosby has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently scheduled to go to trial in November.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley announced the suspect’s name and promised to track him down and bring him to justice
Worley said Tuesday that a special forces unit was working with the U.S. Marshalls to capture Billingsley.
“We ask anyone who has seen him or knows him or knows where he is to contact police immediately,” Worley said.
“We warn residents to be aware of their surroundings at all times.” This person will kill and rape. He will do anything to cause harm.’
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said it was “hard to express the sadness” over LaPere’s killing, calling it “horrible, senseless and tragic.”
He said he knew LaPere and said she would “help anyone 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 could attack again.
“We need to get other parts of the system to understand that these cases affect people for eternity,” he said.
“Pava’s family will struggle with the trauma and tragedy of her loss for the rest of their lives.”
“The police go out and do their job, as they did in this case, and then the prosecutor goes out, does their job and passes the conviction – the conviction should be the conviction.”
“We are tired of talking about the same people committing the same crimes over and over again.”
Scott urged journalists to look at who made the decision to release this person on parole based on the facts of this case. Because he definitely shouldn’t have gone out on the streets.’
Baltimore police announced Tuesday the identity of the man wanted for LaPere’s murder
Billingsley was described by the Baltimore Police Commissioner as a repeat violent offender
Officers arrived at her apartment complex in the 300 block of West Franklin Street around 11:34 a.m. Monday. LaPere lived in the building formerly occupied by 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
A Johns Hopkins University graduate, LaPere lived and worked in the same building where she was found murdered, according to public records.
Officers arrived at her apartment complex in the 300 block of West Franklin Street around 11:34 a.m. Monday.
When they arrived, they found LaPere dead. She showed signs of blunt force trauma and detectives opened a murder investigation, police confirmed.
Worley said it was a “secure building” but did not comment on where she was found, only confirming that it was “at this address.”
A neighbor who lives across the street from LaPere said she woke up to police knocking on LaPere’s door. There is no answer, she told the local news.
The coroner’s office took possession of the body and an inquest is still pending.
LaPere, who attended Johns Hopkins University, was named to Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 list this year for her impactful work
The tech CEO (center) is pictured with her parents Caroline and Frank LaPere
According to investigators, there was a missing person call for her shortly before her body was discovered. They would not say who the caller was because the investigation is ongoing.
LaPere, who attended Johns Hopkins University before founding the company, was named to Forbes’ prestigious “30 Under 30” list this year for her impactful work.
She is the co-founder and CEO of EcoMap Technologies – which she founded in her college dorm at the age of 22.
In addition to her Forbes recognition, she was named to Baltimore’s “40 Under 40” and Maryland’s “25 Under 25” lists for innovation.
LaPere was remembered by those who knew and worked with her as one of Baltimore’s “brightest stars” and a “compassionate visionary force.”