2 months ago
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Man who murdered
Baltimore tech entrepreneur
Pava LaPere in September 2023 was sentenced to three
life terms
on Friday, with the first two served concurrently.
Jason Billingsley
, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder of the entrepreneur on Friday morning. He also pleaded on August 26 to two counts of attempted murder in connection with a separate arson and home invasion that took place just before LaPere’s body was found on the rooftop of her downtown Baltimore apartment.
Baltimore state’s attorney
Ivan Bates
said after the hearing, as quoted by The Guardian, “Let me be clear – Mr Billingsley should never see the light of day again.”
LaPere’s close friend, Shrenik Jaim, expressed his grief to the court, saying, “We’ll never know what she could have accomplished.”
'I hold myself fully accountable'
Billingsley, who appeared in a yellow jumpsuit in court, expressed his remorse, saying, “I hold myself fully accountable.”
Prosecutors on Friday revealed that Billingsley admitted to using a brick to attack LaPere.
He gained entry to the 26-year-old entrepreneur's apartment building by calling her over to the glass door, though police have found no evidence they knew each other. Surveillance footage showed Billingsley’s initial encounter with LaPere as she walked home from a local arts festival. He followed her, and later, while she was in the building lobby, he attacked her.
Previous crime
LaPere's body was discovered six days after the home invasion during which Billingsley, posing as a maintenance worker, gained entry into an apartment building. The arrest warrant states that he threatened a woman with a gun and used duct tape to bind both her and her boyfriend. He then set the couple on fire, resulting in severe burns. The victims filed a lawsuit against the property owner and management company for negligent hiring practices.
Billingsley had been released from prison in October 2022 after serving a reduced sentence for a 2013 rape due to good behavior credits. This year, Maryland lawmakers, influenced by testimony from LaPere’s parents, passed a bill to eliminate good behavior credits for those convicted of first-degree rape. The new law will take effect on October 1.
Who was LaPere?
LaPere founded a tech startup from her Johns Hopkins University dormitory room. She was also featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for social impact. LaPere was killed by strangulation and blunt force trauma after being sexually assaulted. She was remembered for her dedication to community building and using entrepreneurship for meaningful social change.
