*(CNN) — When authorities found the body of 26-year-old Pava LaPere at a Baltimore apartment building Monday, the tech executive had probably been dead for three days and Jason Billingsley is the prime suspect, police said Thursday.
But even before the CEO was killed, the man suspected of killing her was being tracked by investigators because police believed he was responsible for rape, arson, and attempted murder days earlier, officials said.
The stunning revelations came hours after the suspect, Jason Dean Billingsley, was arrested Wednesday night – ending a frantic manhunt for the convicted sex offender who had a 30-year sentence but was released from prison last year.
4 alleged felonies in 3 days
Baltimore police believe Billingsley is responsible for an arson, rape, and attempted murder that happened September 19 in the 800 block of Edmondson Avenue – about a mile from where LaPere’s body was found days later.
That incident left a man and woman hospitalized in critical condition, though both were stable the next day, police said.
“All indications are that this was not a random act of violence,” Baltimore Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “We have information to believe that the victims … were targeted by the suspect – that the suspect knew the victims and he went into that location for a criminal reason.”
Investigators started looking for Billingsley, police said.
Police believe three days after the September 19 crimes, LaPere was killed.
“It seems like she was probably murdered on Friday night, and she wasn’t recovered until they reported her missing … on Monday,” Worley said.
Authorities found her body Monday at an apartment building in the 300 block of West Franklin Street. LaPere was found with signs of blunt-force trauma to her head. Police said they don’t know of any connection between Billingsley and LaPere, the beloved CEO of EcoMap Technologies.
Billingsley was seen on video following LaPere on the street as she approached the building where she lived and worked, law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told CNN.
The video shows the suspect following LaPere from a distance, but LaPere does not appear to be aware of his presence, according to the sources.
After LaPere entered the lobby where her company offices are located, she appeared to see Billingsley at the front door looking as though he had difficulty getting into the building – as if he had forgotten his keys, the sources said.
LaPere then opened the door for him, and security cameras in the lobby recorded them in conversation, according to the sources.
As LaPere walked toward the elevator, those security cameras show Billingsley following her.
LaPere was killed on the roof, the sources said, and Billingsley is recorded leaving the building about 40 minutes after following her into the elevator.
‘I don’t think we made a mistake in this case’
Worley defended the police department’s decision to not publicize its search for Billingsley immediately after the September 19 crimes – which critics say might have helped get him back behind bars before LaPere was killed.
“The first incident on Edmondson Avenue was not a random act. Had it been a random act, we would have put out a flier right away, saying this individual was on the loose, committing random acts,” Worley said.
“We know pretty much why he went into the house on Edmondson Avenue, why he committed those acts. He worked at that building, he was familiar with the victims. I’m not going to say too much more because I don’t want to talk bad about victims. But he was there for a reason,” Worley said.
The acting police chief said investigators had been tracking Billingsley and didn’t want to issue a flier too soon, which could prompt the suspect to flee.
As for how Billingsley evaded arrest despite police surveillance, Worley said: “We never got close enough.”
At one point, police “were within about 88 meters of capturing the suspect, but he was able to elude our capture,” Worley said.
“I don’t think we made a mistake in this case. I think our detectives made the same decision we make every single time based on the facts and circumstances that we have,” he said.
But LaPere’s death forced police to change the strategy.
“As soon as we realized he had committed an act that seemed to be random … we put the flier out,” Worley said. “And just as we thought, as soon as he saw the flier, he tried to elude capture and turned off all devices we were able to track him on.”
A multi-agency task force managed to find and capture Billingsley on Wednesday night, Worley said.
Billingsley was arrested at a train station in Bowie, Maryland, Deputy US Marshal Albert Maresca Jr. told CNN affiliate WBAL. Bowie is about 25 miles southwest of downtown Baltimore.
‘Rapists shouldn’t be let out early’
LaPere’s death ignited criticism over why Billingsley was allowed out on the streets at all.
Billingsley pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011, according to court records.
In 2015, he was convicted of a first-degree sex offense and was initially sentenced to 30 years in prison (with 16 months already served), court records show.
But he was released from prison about seven years later, in October 2022. His release was not parole, but rather “on mandatory supervision as required by statute” a spokesperson for Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services told The New York Times.
Since his release from prison last year, Billingsley has been registered as a sex offender in Maryland’s statewide database.
But “when we look at the facts of the original case, you will agree that he should not have been out on the streets,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Thursday.
“Rapists shouldn’t be let out early – period. When you rape someone, no matter if it’s someone’s daughter, son, their wife, you should not get out early.”
Even the top local prosecutor questioned Billingsley’s release from prison.
“We immediately went back, we pulled the file,” said Ivan J. Bates, who became the state’s attorney for Baltimore City this year. He said the outcome appeared to be “a little bit below guidelines.”
“It was a different administration,” Bates said. “That prosecutor is no longer there. But with every single case, there are different issues that you have to look at. Are the witnesses, the victims cooperative? What’s the evidence? Things like that. So I’m not going to go back and say hindsight is 20/20.”
But the prosecutor said he would like lawmakers to consider stricter rules for everyone convicted of sexual offenses – not just those who commit such acts against minors.
Bates said in 2016, the state legislature passed a law saying a person who commits a sex offense against someone 16 or younger would not be eligible for diminution credits – credits earned from good behavior or work that can reduce prison time.
Bates suggested the “legislature could maybe look at the first-degree sex offense or first-degree rape, are these individuals still going to be eligible for diminution credits?”
Detectives are now poring over the city’s cases since October to determine whether Billingsley may be connected to any other incidents since he was released, police said.
LaPere’s legacy will be felt ‘for years to come’
On Thursday, LaPere’s family released a statement thanking authorities for their work in capturing Billingsley.
“We appreciate the tireless efforts of the Baltimore Police Department, and their law enforcement partners, throughout the course of this investigation and apprehension of the suspect,” the family said.
“We’re relieved to know he can no longer hurt other innocent victims. While this doesn’t change that Baltimore lost one of its most passionate, influential fans, our efforts remain focused on remembering and celebrating Pava Marie – her life, successes, and legacy.”
At a vigil for LaPere Wednesday evening, mourners remembered her as a rising tech entrepreneur who had a reputation for uplifting and connecting those in her Baltimore community.
Her father, Frank LaPere, became tearful as he described his daughter growing up as “the definition of daddy’s little girl.”
The father described how he proudly watched as Pava tapped into her innate leadership ability and relentlessly pursued her goals.
Pava LaPere cofounded EcoMap at age 21 while she was still attending college at Johns Hopkins University, according to the company’s website.
The startup, which sells artificial intelligence tools, has since grown to over 30 employees and announced nearly $8 million in financing this year.
LaPere’s accomplishments earned her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list earlier this year for social impact.
The father and daughter – both early risers – would talk early in the morning and exchange photos of their sunrises, her father recalled. Pava would get to work early because she was a “workaholic” like her father, Frank said.
LaPere’s dedication to supporting young entrepreneurs and building a tech community in Baltimore means she has left behind a legacy that won’t be easily forgotten, said Kory Bailey, who described LaPere as his friend and mentor.
“The impact of who she is, what she means to us and what she created in this world will be felt, it will be carried forward and it will be recognized for years to come,” said Bailey, the chief ecosystem and relationship officer at UpSurge Baltimore, a company that helps startups to develop.
LaPere’s father thanked the vigil attendees for supporting his daughter’s dreams.
“We’re going to take her away from Baltimore, but her presence will never leave here,” he said. “Thank you very, very much for loving our girl.”
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