BALTIMORE — Tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere was found dead on the roof of her building, strangled and brutally beaten with a brick, court documents show.
LaPere, 26, had blunt force trauma wounds to her head, face and body, according to a statement of charges filed in the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City.
LaPere was half-clothed when authorities found her, although the documents do not offer other details about the nature of the crime.
Authorities found a brick, blood, three teeth, buttons, pants, a broken hair clip and a pair of red shoes near her body, the document shows.
Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Her suspected killer, Jason Billingsley, 32, was arrested around 11 p.m. Wednesday without incident following a major manhunt.
He faces multiple charges in LaPere’s death, including first-degree murder and assault, according to court records. He is also charged with using a brick as a dangerous weapon.
LaPere appeared to let Billingsley into the building Friday night, surveillance video shows. A man that authorities believe to be the suspect waved at her through the glass door to come over to him, documents show, after which she opened the door, spoke to him, and let him inside. The two then got into the elevator. LaPere lived and worked in the building.
Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Thursday that he believes LaPere was killed Friday night. Her body was found by a worker in the building Monday after she was reported missing.
Worley said investigators are still processing evidence “to determine exactly what occurred” and that they do not know if there are “any connections” between the victim and suspect.
Billingsley was also suspected of raping a woman days before LaPere’s death and was already under police surveillance, authorities said Thursday. Police, however, initially withheld that information from the public because they believe it was a “targeted” attack and were worried he would go into hiding.
Billingsley was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to first-degree rape, online court records show. The Maryland sex offender registry shows he was released from prison in October of 2022.
LaPere was the CEO and founder of the software startup EcoMap Technologies.
In a statement, her family said they were “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,” the statement said.
Antonio Planas reported from Baltimore, and Melissa Chan reported from New York.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
