How Police Identified Accused Killer of Baltimore Tech Startup CEO Found Dead on Apartment Building Rooftop

Tech CEO Pava LaPere was found beaten to death atop her upscale Baltimore apartment complex and her suspected killer has now been arrested, according to authorities.

On Sept. 25, LaPere, the 26-year-old co-founder of startup EcoMap Technologies, was reported missing. Police said she was found later that day with blunt-force trauma to her head.

Initial reports claimed LaPere was found dead inside her apartment, but sources told the Baltimore Banner that her badly beaten and partially clothed body was actually found on the building’s rooftop.

According to Baltimore police, Jason Billingsley, a 32-year-old man with an “extremely dangerous” and violent past, has been arrested and charged of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, assault and other charges in connection with the alleged murder.

On Sept. 28, Deputy U.S. Marshal Albert Maresca Jr. said Billingsley was arrested late at night on Sept. 27 at a train station in Bowie, WBAL-TV reported.

At a news conference, Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said SWAT officers arrested Billingsley without incident.

Worley said investigators were able to track down Billingsley using his phone, his financial transactions and his social media. They also surveilled his known addresses, spoke with multiple witnesses and listened to numerous jail calls in an attempt to find him, WBAL-TV reported.

Billingsley’s rap sheet includes pleading guilty to first-degree assault in 2009, second-degree assault in 2011 and first-degree sex offense in 2015. He was sentenced to 30 years for the cases, court documents state.

However, he was released seven years later for “good-time credits,” the Baltimore Banner reported.

Worley said Billingsley is also wanted in a separate case, but he did not disclose further details.

Sources told the Daily Mail that police are investigating whether or not Billingsley was involved in a knifepoint sex assault and arson attack on Sept. 19. The attack left a man and a woman, both 26, in critical condition and a 5-year-old child suffering from smoke inhalation.

The attacker allegedly sexually assaulted the woman and slashed her throat with a knife, the Daily Mail reported. Police were asked if Billingsley is a suspect in that case and they said they “can’t confirm that.”

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EcoMap Technologies said in a statement that “Pava 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, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend, and partner set a standard for leadership," the statement continued, adding that "her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do."