Where was Jason Billingsley found? Suspect captured as shocking details emerge in the murder of tech CEO Pava LaPere

Jason Billingsley, a suspect wanted in connection to the killing of 26-year-old Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere, was arrested on Wednesday, September 27, following a two-day manhunt, for the convicted s*x offender released early from prison in October 2022.

In a news conference Thursday, September 28, police said the 32-year-old suspect was taken into custody Wednesday night 27 miles south of Baltimore at a train station in Bowie, Maryland. Pava LaPere was found dead from suspected blunt force trauma on Monday, September 25, at an apartment complex on the 300 block of West Franklin Street in Baltimore, Maryland.

Shortly after, officials identified Jason Billingsley as the suspect wanted for first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment and additional charges. At the time, while officials did not disclose the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death, they warned civilians to stay vigilant while the dangerous suspect with a past conviction for s*xual assault was still on the loose.

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Pava LaPere let the suspect Jason Billingsley into the building on Friday night

Following a two-day frantic manhunt, on Thursday morning, police announced that the suspect responsible for the gruesome killing of tech CEO Pava LaPere was captured. The arrest came in the wake of the emergence of details connected to the victim’s death.

According to court documents cited on CNN, Pava LaPere was killed on Friday, September 22. However, authorities didn’t discover her body until three days later on Monday when a worker found her remains on the roof of the building where she lived and worked.

The 26-year-old was reportedly strangled and brutally beaten with a brick, which was found at the crime scene. As per NBC, police also found blood, three teeth, buttons, pants, a broken hair clip, and a pair of red shoes. While the nature of the crime remained unclear, authorities said that the victim was discovered half-clothed at the scene.

In a press conference on Tuesday, while the manhunt was still active, authorities said that they do not have any reason to believe the suspect, who has a lengthy rap sheet, including a 2013 conviction for r*pe, was acquainted with the victim.

However, court documents revealed LaPere appeared to let the suspect into the building Friday night after Billingsley waved at her through the glass door, seemingly summoning her over. The incident caught on video showed the victim speaking to the suspect before she let him inside and the two got inside an elevator.

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Jason Billingsley was involved in a brutal attack against an unidentified woman days before Pava LaPere's murder

Police revealed that days before Lava LaPere was killed, the suspect, Jason Billingsley, was involved in an arson, r*pe, and attempted murder that occurred on September 19.

Police said that they declined to release any information on the case at the time as they believed the incident was targeted.

“All indications are that this was not a random act of violence,” Baltimore Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “We have information to believe that the victims … were targeted by the suspect – that the suspect knew the victims and he went into that location for a criminal reason.”

According to court documents cited by CNN, on September 19, the woman let Billingsley inside her apartment building after he claimed to be the maintenance man. Shortly after, Jason Billingsley broke into the woman's house, slitting her throat, and r*ping her “several times during the night.” He then set her on fire.

The shocking new details stirred up a public outcry about police choosing to keep silent about the crime. People believe Pava LaPere’s death could have been prevented if the public had been notified about the earlier incident.

Pava LaPere, the co-founder of EcoMap Technologies, graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 2018. In a statement, her family said they were relieved that the suspect had been detained.