Current:Home > reviewsTech CEO Pava LaPere Found Dead at 26: Warrant Issued for Suspect's Arrest -CapitalCourse
Tech CEO Pava LaPere Found Dead at 26: Warrant Issued for Suspect's Arrest
View
Date:2025-04-14 23:33:23
Authorities are on the hunt for a suspect in connection to the murder of Pava LaPere.
The 26-year-old, who served as CEO of EcoMap Technologies and was featured on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list, was found dead in her Baltimore apartment with signs of blunt-force trauma on Sept. 25, police confirmed to NBC News.
During a press conference held the following day, authorities announced that they have issued an arrest warrant for Jason Dean Billingsley in connection to her case, stating that the 32-year-old is wanted for first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment and additional charges.
"This individual will kill, and he will rape," Commissioner Richard Worley said during the press conference. "He will do anything he can to cause harm."
Worley also went on to issue a warning directly to the suspect.
"Every single police officer in Baltimore city and the state of Maryland, as well as the U.S. Marshalls are looking for you," he said. "We will find you, so I will ask you to turn yourself into any officer at a police station because we will take you into custody eventually."
Authorities also shared their belief that Billingsley is "probably armed and dangerous" at this time.
"We ask anyone who may have seen him, knows him or knows his whereabouts," Worley continued, "to contact police immediately by calling 911."
Billingsley was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense in 2015, per NBC News, who cited court records. He had also pleaded guilty, according to the outlet, to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011.
Shortly after LaPere's passing, her company EcoMap Technologies reflected on their founder's legacy, noting that she "was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap, but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader."
"Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country," their Sept. 26 statement shared to Facebook read, "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."
E! News has reached out to the Baltimore Police Department for additional updates on this case and has not heard back. NBC News was unable to reach Billingsley's public defender for comment.
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (5417)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Untangling Exactly What Happened to Pregnant Olympian Tori Bowie
- Listener Questions: Airline tickets, grocery pricing and the Fed
- Allen Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months for his role in Trump Organization tax fraud
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Flight fare prices skyrocketed following Southwest's meltdown. Was it price gouging?
- Avoid these scams on Amazon Prime Day this week
- 'It's like gold': Onions now cost more than meat in the Philippines
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Get a $120 Barefoot Dreams Blanket for $30 Before It Sells Out, Again
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Clothes That Show Your Pride: Rainbow Fleece Pants, Sweaters, Workout Leggings & More
- Rally car driver and DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block dies in a snowmobile accident
- Biden signs a bill to fight expensive prison phone call costs
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- NYC could lose 10,000 Airbnb listings because of new short-term rental regulations
- The federal spending bill will make it easier to save for retirement. Here's how
- January is often a big month for layoffs. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario
Recommendation
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Inside Clean Energy: Tesla Gets Ever So Close to 400 Miles of Range
Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times in attack at Florida federal prison
Energy Regulator’s Order Could Boost Coal Over Renewables, Raising Costs for Consumers
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
Sarah Silverman sues OpenAI and Meta over copied memoir The Bedwetter
Warming Trends: Chief Heat Officers, Disappearing Cave Art and a Game of Climate Survival
Dylan Sprouse and Supermodel Barbara Palvin Are Engaged After 5 Years of Dating