'Will kill, will rape': Murder of tech exec in Baltimore prompts hunt, dire warnings

A murder suspect labeled by police as willing to "do anything he can to cause harm" is the target of an all-out search after a 26-year-old software development company founder was found slain in her Baltimore apartment.

Baltimore Police said Pava Marie LaPere was found around 11:30 a.m. after someone called for help. She died from blunt-force trauma.

Authorities announced an arrest warrant at a news conference Tuesday afternoon for Jason Dean Billingsley, 32. He is charged with first-degree murder in LaPere's killing.

Officials said Billingsley is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.

"We implore residents to be aware of your surroundings at all times," Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said at a news conference. "This individual will kill, and he will rape. He will do anything he can to cause harm."

Officials said Billingsley has previously been convicted of a violent crime that included a sex offense. He was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison for the previous crime but was released on parole in October 2022.

“The conviction should be the conviction, and we have to make sure that folks are held accountable in every single way, because we are tired of talking about the same people committing the same kind of crimes over and over again,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

LaPere is known in the Baltimore area for her start-up, EcoMap Technologies, which improves accessibility of information by mapping it and putting in on an accessible platform. According to her LinkedIn page, the company started in 2018.

"Pava was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader," the company said in a statement Tuesday. "Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend, and partner set a standard for leadership, and her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do."

Before EcoMap, LaPere founded the Baltimore-based nonprofit Innov8MD focused on helping student entrepreneurs in Maryland. Her LinkedIn profile says LaPere earned a BA from Maryland-based Johns Hopkins University in sociology and studied entrepreneurship and management.

“The Johns Hopkins community deeply mourns the tragic loss of Pava LaPere, a 2019 graduate who made Baltimore home and invested her talent in our city,” Johns Hopkins University told USA TODAY Tuesday. “Pava was well known and loved in the Baltimore entrepreneurship community and will be profoundly missed. Our solemn thoughts are with her family in this time of grief.”

Forbes named LaPere to its 2023 30 Under 30 list for social impact. "With over $4 million raised and a team of nearly 30, the Johns Hopkins grad runs a company whose clients include The Aspen Institute, Meta, the WXR Fund, and T.Rowe Price Foundation," Forbes wrote.

LaPere said in a post last month that she was "especially thrilled" about the company's growth and she thanked EcoMap customers, advisers, investors and friends. "Here's to the next wild year, and all of those to follow," she wrote.