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Louise Thomas
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The man charged with the murder of tech CEO Pava LaPere has admitted to hitting her with a brick and strangling her on the roof of her Baltimore home nearly a year ago.
Jason Billingsley, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Baltimore Circuit Court on Friday. LaPere was 26 when she died.
“I hold myself fully accountable,” said Billingsley while addressing the courtroom, according to The Baltimore Banner. “I’m very remorseful. I sincerely, deeply apologize.”
Baltimore police officers found LaPere’s body on 25 September 2023. Surveillance footage showed that she entered her apartment building around 10.30pm and sat in the lobby. She let Billingsley inside and the two of them went into the elevator.
Around 11.08pm, Billingsley came down the stairs, exited the building then wiped his hands on his hand and shorts. A brick with “suspected blood” was discovered and had LaPere’s DNA on it.
The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined LaPere died from blunt force injuries and strangulation. Her manner of death was listed as homicide.
Authorities said LaPere had “obvious signs of trauma” and was in a “partial state of undress”. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Billingsley later waived his Miranda rights and confessed to murdering the woman.
LaPere was the CEO of EcoMap Technologies at the time of her death.
Addressing the courtroom and Billingsley, her father, Frank LaPere, said: “You have taken away so much.” The woman’s father apologized to her murderer for having an unhappy early life but said that didn’t give him the right to kill his daughter.
Billingsley has been ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole. Earlier this week, he also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with an attack on a man and woman that same month.
Circuit Judge Robert Taylor Jr handed down the sentence, telling Billingsley: “I try not to judge people by their worst acts, but no one in any community, in my opinion, will be safe as long as you are free.”
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