Man pleads guilty to killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur in attack that shocked the city

BALTIMORE (AP) — A man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Friday in the killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere last September in an apparently random attack that shocked the city.

Jason Billingsley, 33, entered the guilty plea instead of going to trial Friday morning. He also pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of attempted murder in a separate arson and home invasion case that took place just days before LaPere was found dead on the rooftop of her downtown Baltimore apartment building.

He was sentenced to a total of three life terms, with the first two to be served simultaneously.

“Let me be clear, Mr. Billingsley should never see the light of day again,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said at a news conference following the Friday morning hearing.

LaPere, who founded a tech startup from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University and was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for social impact, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma after being sexually assaulted. She was remembered as someone who remained focused on building community and using entrepreneurship to create meaningful social change, even as her national profile rose.

After Billingsley entered his guilty plea Friday, the court heard statements from LaPere’s loved ones, including her parents, who described the immense pain they’ve experienced since their daughter’s life was brutally cut short. They said they will never again celebrate birthdays and holidays together, never watch LaPere continue growing her business, walk down the aisle at her wedding or see her children smile.

“All our lives have changed,” Frank LaPere said. Addressing Billingsley directly, he acknowledged the man’s traumatic childhood and the ways it may have affected him. But that “did not give you the right” to commit these heinous crimes, Frank LaPere said.

Billingsley, who appeared in a yellow jumpsuit and mostly stared straight ahead during the impact statements, later expressed remorse for his actions.

“I hold myself fully accountable,” he told the judge.

Billingsley could technically become eligible for parole after 40 years, but officials said his record of prior sex offenses and parole violations essentially guarantees he remains in prison much longer.

Prosecutors have said Billingsley admitted to beating LaPere with a brick. He gained entry to her downtown Baltimore apartment building after waving her over to its glass door, but there’s no reason to believe they knew each other, according to police.

During the hearing Friday, prosecutors said surveillance video showed an initial encounter between LaPere and Billingsley while she was walking home after attending a local arts festival with her friends. They said Billingsley followed LaPere and then approached her building shortly after she entered and sat down in the lobby.

Her body was found six days after the home invasion case in which police say Billingsley gained entry into an apartment building by identifying himself as the building maintenance man. According to the arrest warrant, he pointed a gun at a woman inside and used duct tape to restrain her and her boyfriend. He then raped the woman several times and attacked her with a knife before setting both victims on fire, leaving them with serious burns, police wrote.

Billingsley had been quickly identified as a suspect in that case, and Baltimore police have received criticism for their handling of the case. Police have said they were actively pursuing him, but they did not immediately alert the public because they didn’t think he was committing “random” acts of violence.

The victims filed a lawsuit earlier this year accusing the property owner and management company of engaging in negligent hiring practices.

Billingsley was released from prison in October 2022 after serving a shortened sentence for a 2013 rape because he earned good behavior credits behind bars. Earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers heard testimony for LaPere’s parents and passed a bill to end good behavior credits for anyone imprisoned for first-degree rape. The new law goes into effect Oct. 1.

After the guilty plea, LaPere’s loved ones said their grief at losing her is mixed with pride in the legacy she left behind. They said she fostered a genuine belief in the goodness of humanity and the potential for positive social change.

“Pava dedicated her life to a vision to improve Baltimore,” her close friend Shrenik Jaim told the court. “We’ll never know what she could have achieved.”