Man sentenced to life in prison for killing Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere

A Baltimore man was sentenced to three life terms in prison Friday after pleading guilty to the 2023 murder of technology entrepreneur Pava LaPere, officials said.

Jason Billingsley was on early release from prison after being convicted of sexual assault before he killed 26-year-old LaPere, raped another woman and attempted to kill that victim and her male friend. The crimes led to changes in state law.

Billingsley, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to three life sentences, two of which must be served consecutively, the Baltimore city attorney said.

“Let me be clear: Mr. Billingsley should never see the light of day again,” said Attorney General Ivan J. Bates at a press conference.

Billingsley was a maintenance worker and identified himself as such when he knocked on April Hurley's apartment door on Sept. 19. He then kicked her in and threatened her and her friend with a gun, officials said.

Billingsley held both of them down, sexually assaulted Hurley and slit her throat. Officials said he poured an accelerant on her and the apartment, setting it on fire.

A week later, on Sept. 25, LaPere was reported missing by coworkers. Her body was later found on the roof of her downtown Baltimore apartment building. Surveillance video captured her letting Billingsley into the lobby and the two getting into an elevator, officials said.

According to prosecutors, Billingsley is later seen wiping his hands on his pants and leaving the building alone.

Hurley and LaPere's family joined the prosecutor at a press conference on Friday where the guilty pleas and life sentences were announced.

“Without God and my will to live, I wouldn't be standing here today,” Hurley said. She said she now lives in constant fear and finds it difficult to appear in public.

“Every day I have flashbacks and triggers that cause terrible anxiety, pain and stress,” she said. “I will never be the same person again.”

The LaPere family said each of the 342 days since LaPere's murder has been painful and difficult.

“Today, acceptable justice may have been served. But it will never fill the void, erase the grief or replace the impact Pava would have had if she had lived the full life she deserved,” said her father, Frank LaPere. “The full life every innocent person deserves.”

LaPere was CEO and co-founder of EcoMap Technologies, a company that provides a platform that collects and organizes data to deliver insights and growth opportunities.

Because of her social influence, she was named one of Forbes' “30 Under 30”.

Billingsley was released early from prison after being sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison, all but 14 years of which were suspended, for first-degree sexual assault he committed in 2013.

In 2022, he was released five years early through “diminution credits,” which allow someone to leave prison early if they have good behavior, for example. Records show his sentence began in 2013, when he was arrested and incarcerated.

Maryland passed the Pava Marie LaPere Act this year, which eliminates sentence reductions for people convicted of first-degree sex offenses.

LaPere's family said other states should have similar laws that prevent first-degree sex offenders from receiving reduced sentences.

Billingsley was sentenced to two life sentences, one to run consecutively. The two life sentences for the attempted murder must be served concurrently, and the life sentence for the premeditated murder must be served consecutively. Billingsley also violated probation, Bates said.