BALTIMORE (AP) — On Friday, a man admitted to the murder of Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere, a shocking incident that occurred last September and seemed entirely random. This incident deeply affected the local community.
Jason Billingsley, who is 33 years old, chose to plead guilty rather than go to trial and was sentenced to life in prison. Earlier in the week, on Monday, he also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in a separate case involving arson and a home invasion that took place shortly before LaPere was discovered dead on the rooftop of her apartment building in downtown Baltimore.
The plea agreement from Monday resulted in Billingsley receiving two additional life sentences.
Pava LaPere was the founder of a tech startup she created from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University. She was recognized on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for her contributions to social impact. Tragically, she lost her life due to strangulation and blunt force trauma after being sexually assaulted. She is remembered as someone dedicated to building community and promoting entrepreneurship as a means to foster significant social change, even as her influence grew nationally.
Following Billingsley’s arrest, prosecutors mentioned during a bail review that he confessed to hitting LaPere with a brick. He was able to enter her apartment building by signaling her to approach the glass door, but authorities believe there was no prior relationship between them.
The murder of LaPere led to criticism directed at the police regarding their handling of the situation. Six days before LaPere’s death, Billingsley was involved in a home invasion where he pretended to be the maintenance man of an apartment building. According to the police arrest warrant, he threatened a woman inside with a gun, restrained her and her boyfriend with duct tape, raped the woman multiple times, and then attacked her, leaving her with severe injuries.
Billingsley quickly emerged as a suspect in that case. While Baltimore police claimed they were actively trying to find him, they did not alert the public right away because they didn’t believe he was carrying out random acts of violence.
The victims from the home invasion filed a lawsuit earlier this year, accusing the property owner and management company of being negligent in their hiring practices.
In October 2022, Billingsley was released from prison after serving a reduced sentence for a rape he committed in 2013; he had received good behavior credits for his time in prison. In response to the tragedy surrounding LaPere, Maryland lawmakers heard emotional testimonies from her parents and subsequently passed a bill to eliminate good behavior credits for individuals convicted of first-degree rape. This law will take effect on October 1.
