Law&Crime Sidebar - Young Tech CEO Brutally Murdered at Baltimore Apartment After Making Forbes 30 Under 30

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

A rising star in the tech industry, honored in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list at the young age of 26, was brutally murdered in her Baltimore apartment. Days later, police arrested a suspect with an extensive criminal history in connection to her killing. The Law & Crime Network's Jesse Weber breaks it down with master criminal investigator Dr. Troy Looney.Hosts:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberAngenette Levy: https://twitter.com/Angenette5LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergVideo Editing - Michael DeiningerScript Writing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. This individual will kill and he will rape. He will do anything he can to cause harm. So please be aware of your surroundings. A rising star in the tech industry honored by Forbes at the young age of just 26 had her life cut short. And now police have apprehended the person. who they suspect brutally killed her.

Master criminal investigator, Dr. Troy Looney, comes on to give his insight into the case. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. Let's go over to Baltimore, Maryland. We're 26-year-old Pavel LaPere, the co-founder of a startup called EcoMap Technologies that connected companies and investors, was tragically killed. We're talking about the loss of a young woman who was in the prime of her life. life. LaPere was named on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social impact, and at only 26 years

of age, she was well on her way to becoming a titan in the industry. I had my life entirely mapped out a blueprint for how I was going to make a change in the world. So now let's give you a timeline of what we think happened here. So she was reported missing on Monday, September 25th. Her body was found just hours after that. with reports suggesting that she was found on the roof of her Baltimore apartment building. And while a cause of death hasn't been officially confirmed, authorities did say that her body sustained blunt force trauma, and it seems that she was also partially clothed. So who would have done this? Well, authorities have announced that they have just arrested their prime suspect, 32-year-old Jason Billingsley.

He was arrested at a train station about 30 miles away from Baltimore. We know that SWAT officers arrested him without incident. He was wanted on several charges and is now charged with first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment, all in connection with the pair's death. He is a violent offender arrested multiple times dating back to 2009 when he pled guilty to first-degree assault. He was put on two years supervised release but was convicted in 2011 for second-degree assault and sentenced to two years in prison. But then in 2013, only months after being released from prison,

he strikes again, and he's arrested for what is being reported as an attempted rape. He pleads guilty in 2015 and is sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, all but 14 years, some outlets saying 16 years, were suspended, and he was released after serving seven years, not on parole, but on something called Good Time Credits. Released on October 22 on mandatory supervision, he's listed under the Maryland Sex Offender Registry in the most serious class. classification. Billingsley is also now charged with another brutal attack on a man and a woman in Baltimore just days before LaPere was killed. The woman was tied up and raped. Her neck was cut. Their

home was set on fire. They both survived, thankfully, but they had to go to the hospital and so did their five-year-old for smoke inhalation. Now, police say they knew that Billingsley was the suspect in that attack, but they say it was targeted so they didn't think that Billingsley would go on to commit more random attacks against people. That is possibly why the police didn't publicize his warrant, but unfortunately, he is now believed to be behind Pavel Lepaire's murder. In reference to the homicide of Ms. Lapeer, we're still processing all evidence to determine exactly what occurred.

We do know that there was no forced entry in the apartment building, as this was a secure building. We don't know if there are any connections previously for Mr. Billings. This is what we will continue to investigate as well as the incidental evidence. I want to be very clear that in reference to both incidents and throughout these investigations, all information that was provided was based on preliminary details available at the time. Every BPD officer received notification of the warrant on September 20th and they were aggressively trying to capture the individuals and to locate

his whereabouts and take him into custody. Cincinnati has been continued to be our number one priority until his capture last night. Our WITF task force as well as the U.S. marshals started to track him on september 20th we tracked him all the way until we captured him yesterday meanwhile the pair's family friends and colleagues are mourning her death that really just came out of nowhere baltimore's mayor brandon scott spoke about the loss during an earlier news conference pava was a very young talented devoted baltimorean uh someone that i had the opportunity to get to know over the past few years who would help anybody that she would see And to have that life cut short by someone who has no care about anything other than harming people

is something that should sit deep in the stomachs of all Baltimoreans tonight. And in a statement to law and crime, her father, Frank LaPere, said, quote, Pava has been an inspiration to so many people. She was driven, creative, hardworking, and relentless in her efforts with her wonderful team at EcoMap Technologies. Pava made an impact in every endeavor she undertook and on every life she touched. She will be forever missed as a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and loyal friend. We hope to be able to provide more information in the near future.

And we appreciate your understanding that privacy at this time is our top priority. So there are a lot of unanswered questions at this point. How to police narrow down Billingsley is the suspect? What is the motive? Was there any connection between Billingsley and LaPere? More information about could he even? have been arrested sooner. Why was he out to begin with? Well, I'm joined right now by Dr. Troy Looney, a certified master criminal investigator and detective with the Akron Police Department

and also Long Crime Network's nominee for America's greatest detective. Detective Looney, it was great to see you this past weekend at CrimeCon at the Clue Awards. You were one of our nominees. I got a chance to meet you. And what a pleasure it was. Yes, thank you. A pleasure meeting you all as well. Thank you for the nomination. That was amazing, amazing time there, crime con. Yeah, no, it was it was a great time. A lot of recognition for sidebar, a lot of recognition for you. So it was a great time all around and very well deserved. So I wish we were meeting, yeah, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances because this is an incredibly sad and tragic case. Before we even get into the investigation and the law, what are just

your overall thoughts on this? Again, so yeah, a tragic crime, tragic incident that unfortunately happened. My initial thoughts were looking at the details that have been reported at least up until now. What happened looking at such a prominent young lady in her prime and really basically that has achieved so much in such a short time and what happened. So my first thought was location, understanding details that had been released. I understand there was a missing person's call that took place before she was discovered. there and this is a seven-story building is my understanding she lived at the luxury apartment at the top lived and worked out of that location so just trying to put some ideas

together reason why this happened motive for it happening was there any relation or connections or any other potential persons of interest also a relationship if any at all maybe there was no connection at all I believe that's what's known up to this point in time So just considering who made the missing persons call what the timeline was of both parties of the victim and perpetrator and just trying to put the details together. I know law enforcement is not allowed to disclose everything because they have to keep the integrity of the case intact until they can complete their investigation. So that's a part of what we all probably are wondering what took place and why. So let's talk about the arrest because that's the latest information. Police had a press conference upon the arrest of Jason Dean Billingsley, 32 years old.

He was arrested late Wednesday, charged with first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment, all in connection to La Pair's death. And what's really interesting is he's arrested two days after she's found, which you would say great police work. But I want to start with the most controversial aspect of this case so far, is that apparently a warrant was out for his arrest for a different crime that happened before La Pair's death, a rape and arson incident. There was a warrant out for his arrest for this. This is something that left. He had tied two people up. He allegedly raped one of these people, set them on fire.

They both survived. Really brutal, brutal case. And in this house, there apparently was a five-year-old that had smoke inhalation and had to be taken to the hospital. So there was a warrant out for his arrest, but they said that this attack was targeted so they had no indication that he was going to commit more crimes, and that is why they didn't publicize the warrant before LaPere was killed. Are you bothered by that? In the sense of, I wouldn't say necessarily bother, I guess there's a concern, obviously, but

working from the law enforcement side, you know, the media always wants to know, what's going on, What details do you have? What can you tell us? But in speaking to, you know, the case integrity, it's imperative for law enforcement to first and foremost, identify what happened, understand who all is involved is responsible, and then what evidence can lead to 100% or at least a definitive answer of who's responsible, what can be proven also, what has to be disclosed or protected for the integrity. the case. Obviously, they cannot always share details. We're actively tracking this person by these means. We know who it is by surveillance or witnesses. You also have to protect the witnesses involved as well. So a lot of factors come in. We love to disclose everything initially, but that will jeopardize the case potentially. So it is of concern to know, but that kind of

makes sense. They kind of gave some clues as to he's a person of interest and the crime that occur the break-in, rape and everything else, and fire arson. So that does leave some idea of, or maybe the questions of, what is the motive was the second attack also targeted or what's the means behind that? But even putting that to the side, this is somebody that was a warrant, apparently, I mean, the way I'm understanding it, a warrant out for his arrest for a violent crime against two individuals, you would think they would want to publicize that, make sure that he is caught immediately because even if that was a targeted attack in their estimation, he could still

be out there and he's a danger. So I guess I'm just curious, could this have been prevented? Could they, if they, if he did kill LePere, if they was publicized and could he have been apprehended sooner? Right. Yes, Jesse. I do understand. And that's an excellent question to consider because, you know, several factors,

not just the incident. That's bad enough in itself, the previous incident having an act. warrant, but also even the release of Billingsley in itself. So a lot of things to consider for further discussion, but should he have even been released from prison on parole with his past? He's a repeat violent offender. He had prior sexual assaults, sentenced to 30 years, only served 14 years, well, actually nine years, three months of the 14. So a lot of things to consider, but that is a concern. I'm sure the public will weigh in on that as well.

And we're going to get into his past in a second, but I want to focus on the killing of Pavel Lepere. So investigators have indicated that they believe she was killed on a Friday night and her body wasn't found until Monday morning. This was only a couple of hours after she was reported missing. That timeline, and again, they haven't, as far as I can tell, officially confirmed that her body was found on the roof of her apartment building. But the fact that they believe she was killed, you know, on a Friday night and she wasn't found until Monday, what does that tell you?

Okay. So what stands out to me there, that tells me that a couple things. Obviously, with the pathology and the medical examination or autopsy, timeline will be determined as far as time maybe for temperature and other factors that scientifically can definitively say we know this to be true, maybe extent of injuries and or the, the entire examination that will take place. Also, other factors and other evidences such as video surveillance, tracking capabilities for devices and or social media and what have you, all that factors into the evidence of the scene itself. The building was secured there.

So by what methods of entry were gained? Was it by external fire escape? The fact that she lived on the seventh floor. So this is like a luxury in house suite. And let me add to that. They have indicated there was no forced entry. Okay, yes. So that means the building was secured. So there are other questions. Was there some connection unknown or was it also a targeted effort because she was prominent and lived and worked at the home work office, home office, and luxury apartment? So things that also stand out are what's the motive? We do know the mother had reported seeing him with a gun maybe a day before the attack was identified or somewhere in close proximity. And he was trying to sell this weapon. So was he trying to gain some kind of financial

monies or monetary to plan his exit or to leave town? So he already knew he was on the run. If he's in fact the person that did this, having the active warrant, he was already planning his escape and planning to leave the location. Also, obviously, him being caught at the train station, he was trying to get out of town and avoid capture. about that and then we'll go back to the crime scene so apparently they pick him up at night at this mark train station on laurel bowie road in bowie prince george's county it's in maryland i think it's 30 miles away from baltimore he wasn't out of the state right he but it looks like he was trying to escape that's that's absolutely right so him being at the train station as an indicator

he was he knew obviously after media uh had reported active warrants for for the Lepere killing or crime that occurred. So he knew of that warrant. Still, he also knew he was a person of interest in the other crime that occurred with the assault, arsons, and so forth. So he actually sent text messages, reported by his mother. He sent text messages between the two,

saying he was, she urged him to turn himself in, but she was concerned for safety, obviously, and wanting him to be, just, you know, come forward. It's, look, it's hard to make sense of any of these crimes, but if he is guilty of all of this, what I don't understand is if he attacked two people in a very violent crime, why would he go out of his way to then kill another individual? Why wouldn't he just try to make, you know, run out of there? Why wouldn't he try to leave town as soon as possible? Why kill another individual? Because, again, right now they don't have any connections between Billings, in LaPere. So it's a question of why he would have done that. Absolutely. Yeah. The question is always why. We don't always understand or we may never learn the motive or intent. It would be interesting his interview if he chooses to speak

as to what took place or request lawyer. But the interview would be significant in understanding maybe some factors, his mental capacity, what he's been dealing with, what his focus may be, or have been the reason for him trying to have to gain money or sell this weapon for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he wanted to get rid of the evidence that he had used previously or maybe there's other crimes committed with that. But it does bring to light, you know, what, what's the reason for these incidents that took place and these killings? And we're speculating a lot because we don't have information. I think the reporting indicates that with respect to the arson attack, he had, you know, made himself look like

as a maintenance worker to gain access to the building. I don't know if that was something similar that happened with Lapeer's building. And also, you make, if it's true that her body was found on the roof, which I feel is an odd place for the body to be found, not sure if she was killed there or the body was moved there. But does that tell you anything about what might have happened? Yes, actually, what that may indicate, and of course it's media reporting.

So they may have used the term roof, but that being the, it's a seven-story. building from a photo that was shared. And if she lived at the top penthouse suite, that just may be the top floor. So if that is, in fact, her residence and workplace, that is the top floor. So essentially it could be considered the roof. But it does factor into, you know, what was the position, how was she found, where she was found, is there other evidence and clues to show was there a struggle that ensued or some

attempt of defense? So that will all factor also with the autopsy and, uh, in a, examination. They haven't officially, as far as I can tell, at this point, confirmed what the cause of death is. They have said that she sustained blunt force trauma. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, so my understanding of blunt force trauma is it's when a physical injury or trauma

has taken place to the body by way of falling, an impact, or by an attack. Essentially, there's commonly severe blood loss in that case, and also the severe. depends on the extent of injuries and or by what mechanism the law force was was delivered. And it seems again, and I'm going to go into his history in a minute about what he's accused of doing in the past, or I should say not even accused, what he was found guilty of, you know, assaults and sexual-related crimes. It would seem to be, if he did do this to Ms. LaPere, it is consistent with that behavior. But before we even get into that, as I said, there appears to be no connection at this point between Billingsley and LaPere.

If this was just a random act of violence, is that uncommon given what we're seeing here? Or is that to be expected giving Billingsley's past? Yes, so essentially, again, it's going to depend on the mental, I guess, culpability of the individual. you know what was he dealing with we can look at this and maybe the suggestion of a crime of opportunity whereas he was desperate to get out of town to acquire monies and or objects to sell so we know that it was reported he broke into the first incident to that residence location where he tied the people up and assaulted them this may have just been a break-in by opportunity of the external fire escape and or posing as a maintenance individual to get some items to sell. It's horrifying to think about it. It's really terrible. And, you know, we're trying to make sense of it.

Thank goodness he was arrested and apprehended two days after this. I mean, that's really great police work. We don't know exactly how they identified him in the first place. Do you have any theories about that? So, again, it's going to come back to the evidence that has been uncovered or discovered, actually. So it could be video surveillance. There could be eyewitnesses that have identified seeing him at the location or near the location or leaving the location also. So there'll be a lot of forensic investigations and testing, DNA potentially, forensic evidence, again, video surveillance,

maybe even audio. So contingent upon, you know, the timeline of how things took place, how things happened, what investigators are looking at. And that will be extensive as far as interviews, with coworkers, family, friends, relatives, and neighbors, even. And you think they're talking with him right now, or they're trying to get him to talk, unless he's lawyered up? Well, that depends. I'm sure initially when you have, you make the initial apprehension, they're transported to a facility,

and they should conduct an interview with him almost immediately just to while it's, you know, in play. So the arrest is in play, actually. I got to ask you the big question. It's the question that a lot of people are talking about with respect to Jason Billingsley. on earth was he out to do this? Because I mentioned his past. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 and all but 14 years. I think there's been reporting 16 years, but 14 years was suspended. And then he gets out in October 22, not on parole, but on something called

good credits. Walk us through how this is possible. Okay. So my understanding was been reported. yes, he was sentenced to 30 years for his previous violent crimes and also sexual offenses that took place. A 30-year sentence issued by the judge, and that judge didn't feel that was enough time. So essentially how this happened is my understanding is there was a plea deal that was offered and accepted to suspend 16 of those 30 years from his sentence. So still serving or facing 14 years, he began his sentence and served. served nine years and three months of his 14-year sentence. The good credits that you mentioned is a part of the Maryland

legislation and legislative laws in place to reduce the population, the prison population. So these good credits could be work-related inside the prison, educational, other jobs they can potentially do to work days off from their sentencing. And I believe he was actually denied parole in 2020, denied parole in 2022 earlier, and it became a mandatory release after he accumulated enough credits to have served as complete sentence. I did look at the law briefly, and it mentioned

very specifically a violent crime or a crime of a violent nature with a sexual offense, but the person or individual will be 16 years or younger. So that could be revisited or maybe should be potentially revisited for amendment. There's no perfect way and know this everyone has rights of course we understand that but with that factoring in there are 38 states that have these laws in place already um there are four that are not in agreement so the 38 states have the laws for good behavior credits towards reducing prison time and uh the time they're served as they've been they've received it's just shocking that he was even eligible for the good credits given his past now i should tell you that the mayor the Baltimore mayor

Brandon Scott has criticized Billingsley being released and said, quite frankly, he shouldn't have been on the, he, he, he said quite frankly, he shouldn't have been out on the streets in the first place. We also know that the circuit judge, Emmanuel Brown, who resided over this deal, didn't agree with it. Apparently, this is not under the guidelines of 15 to 25 years, said, quote, this case deserves a lot more than the 14, meaning the 14 suspended years. You're not. and apparently, I think there was a sign-off on this deal because it would have allowed the survivor of this sexual assault to not have to testify a trial, which you and I both know is a very traumatic experience. It could be very painful. So sometimes a deal can be worked out. It could be the best thing for all parties.

But at the end of the day, if he gets out early and attacks multiple people, attempted murder of two, kills another, what happened here? Exactly, yes. So that has to be explored and discussed further. Again, maybe to revisit some of the good credit behavior legislation in place. Again, he's a repeat violent defender, as reported, served time and was issued that 30-year sentence for the very reason of violent sexual assault. So, yeah, a lot of questions to be answered or at least discussed. And I should tell you that the Baltimore City State's attorney Ivan Bates said at this press conference after the arrest of Billingsley that if Billingsley is found guilty of these most serious crimes, they're going to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole. He said, quote, this individual will never get out to see the light of day again. And I think that given these allegations, and obviously he is innocent under the law until proven guilty, but given these allegations and given what he's charged with, I mean, it's pretty horrendous. I'll give you the final word on it. Yes, yes, it is.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, this took this happened, and we don't always know why again, but hopefully we can have some sort of understanding or better details as they complete their investigation or continue their investigation. It's just a shame. It's a really, really horrifying series of events. Two people brutally attacked, and now we have the loss of a life. I said it before.

Say it again. She was in the prime of her life. There's going to be a titan in the industry. Just should not have happened. Really sad to think about. And we're going to continue to monitor this story as it progresses. Yes. Dr. Looney, Detective Looney, great to see you once again.

Thank you so much for coming here on Sidebar. We really appreciate it. You too, Jesse. Thank you so much. And thank you to everyone else. I really appreciate the time. Thank you. It's a tragic case, but we can, more details to come, I'm sure.

Absolutely. Thanks so much, sir. Thank you. All right, everybody. That's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber.

I'll speak to you next time. or Spotify.