Man suspected of killing Baltimore tech CEO urged to surrender by his mother

Billingsley, who is considered “armed” and “dangerous,” faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree assault, sex offence and robbery.

Now, his mother has issued a desperate plea for him to turn himself in.

“I told him to turn himself in because they’re going to kill him,” 72-year-old Scarlett Billingsley told NBC. “I don’t want police to shoot him because they think he has a gun.”

Billingsley was previously arrested in 2009, 2011 and 2013 on multiple charges including sex offences, second-degree assault and robbery.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and was given two years of supervised probation. He violated the terms of his parole and was convicted of second-degree assault in 2011, court records show.

Billingsley served two years over the 2011 conviction and just months after being released in 2013, he was arrested again on attempted rape charges

In 2015, Mr Billingsley was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended and five years of supervised probation, after he pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offence. He was released from prison last October on “good-time” credits under former District Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the Baltimore Banner reported.

The life of a thriving CEO who was featured in Forbes’ ‘30 under 30’ list for 2023 was cut short under mysterious circumstances.

Baltimore authorities are now hunting for her killer.

Jason Dean Billingsley, 32, is now wanted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree assault, sex offence and robbery.

It is not clear what connection – if any – the victim and suspect may have to each other.

Mayor Scott described LaPere as a talented and motivated Baltimorian who always went out of her way to help others.

“It’s really difficult to express the sorrow that I have standing before you today,” he said. “Pava was … someone I had the opportunity to get to know over the last few years and she would help anyone that she could. And to have that life cut short by someone who has no care about anything but causing harm to people is something that should sit deep in the stomach of all Baltimorians tonight.”

LaPere graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a dual bachelor’s degree in arts and sociology and entrepreneurship and management. She founded her company when she was still at university.

EcoMaps Technologies, according to its website, is a custom platform builder for companies. Forbes reported on LaPere’s “30 under 30” feature that the company with a team of nearly 30 employees had raised over $4m and had big-name clients including Meta and the T.Rowe Price Foundation.

As Baltimore police and the US Marshal’s Service hunt for Billingsley, who is considered “armed and dangerous,” an entire community continues to grapple with LaPere’s death. Karina Mandell, a friend and colleague of LaPere, told The Independent on Wednesday that the tragic loss will have ripple effects in the city that LaPere breathed and loved and worked every day to improve.

“She was a force to be reckoned with. She wanted things to be better, it wasn’t just complaining, she wanted to improve things and challenge the status quo and was unapologetic about it because it was for the right reasons,” Ms Mandell, an entrepreneur herself, said about her friend.

LaPere, originally from Arizona, stayed in Baltimore after graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 2019 with a degree in arts and sociology. She launched her startup, a custom platform builder for companies, from her dorm and went on to build it from the ground up.

Jason Dean Billingsley, a 32-year-old with prior convictions for assault and sex offences, has been named as a suspect in the tech exec’s murder.

He is now wanted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree assault, sex offence and robbery

Billingsley has previous arrests in 2013, 2011 and 2009 on multiple charges including sex offences, second-degree assault and robbery.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011, court records show.

In 2015, Mr Billingsley was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offence, according to court records.

A manhunt is underway for Jason Dean Billingsley, 32, after he was linked to the murder of 26-year-old Pava LaPere, the founder and CEO of EcoMaps Technologies. LaPere’s partially clothed body was found with evident signs of blunt force trauma on the roof of her apartment building on Monday, The Baltimore Banner reports.

Billingsley, who is considered “armed” and “dangerous,” is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree assault, sex offence and robbery. Baltimore police revealed during a press conference on Tuesday that the suspect is a convicted sex offender with a lengthy criminal history.

Billingsley was released on parole last year following a 2015 conviction on a first-degree sex offence. Mayor Brandon Scott, who knew LaPere through her work as an entrepreneur, criticised the early release, saying it should have never happened.

An “armed” and “extremely dangerous” suspect is on the run after a successful 26-year-old tech executive was found brutally murdered in her apartment in Baltimore.

Pava LaPere was the founder and CEO of EcoMaps Technologies, a custom platform builder for companies, and had featured on Forbes’ “30 under 30” list this year for her social impact on the industry.

On Monday, she was found dead from apparent signs of “blunt-force trauma” inside her apartment in the 300 block of West Franklin Street, police said.

Baltimore Police said that a missing persons call had been placed for the victim, leading officers to her home where she was found at around 11.34am that morning.

Jason Dean Billingsley, a 32-year-old with prior convictions for assault and sex offences, has been named as a suspect in her murder.

The life of a thriving CEO who was featured in Forbes’ ‘30 under 30’ list for 2023 was cut short under mysterious circumstances. Baltimore authorities are now hunting for her killer.

Detectives are working to determine potential connections to Billingsley and other cases. Commissioner Worley said on Tuesday that Billingsley is wanted in a separate case but did not give details about what type of offence he was suspected of.

A police source told DailyMail.com that Billingsley was being investigated in connection to a sexual assault and arson incident on 19 September. The attack left a woman in critical condition after she was raped and her throat was slashed with a knife, according to the source.

A man was also injured and a minor suffered smoke inhalation during the ordeal. The Independent has reached out to Baltimore police for comment.

“We will find you. So, I would ask you to turn yourself in to any officer, any police station, because we will take you into custody eventually, and then we will turn it over to the state’s attorney to prosecute you to the fullest. So, please turn yourself in,” Commissioner Worley said.