Man wanted in killing of Baltimore tech entrepreneur arrested, police say

BALTIMORE (AP) — A man wanted in the killing of a Baltimore tech entrepreneur has been arrested, police said early Thursday.

Police didn’t release any details of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Jason Billingsley, but planned a news conference later in the morning.

Baltimore police found 26-year-old Pava LaPere dead with signs of blunt force trauma in her apartment complex after she was reported missing late Monday morning. The Johns Hopkins University graduate founded the tech startup EcoMap Technologies while she was still a college student.

Police announced a suspect in the case Tuesday evening, saying local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were searching for Billingsley, 32, who was paroled last October in an earlier sexual assault case. Court records show he pleaded guilty to first-degree sex assault in 2015.

The public defender’s office, which represented Billingsley in the past, told The Associated Press this week that it is too early for them to comment on this case.

Baltimore Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley had asked anyone with information about Billingsley’s whereabouts to contact authorities, saying Billingsley should be considered armed and dangerous.

In an update Wednesday afternoon, police said Billingsley is also suspected in a rape, attempted murder and arson that occurred Sept. 19 in Baltimore.

Officials have said they have no reason to believe LaPere knew Billingsley.