Baltimore police on Thursday plan to announce the arrest of a man suspected in the murder of Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere, the police department said in a notice about a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Thursday. The notice of the 11 a.m. event reads “BPD to announce arrest of murder suspect Jason Billingsley.” No further details were released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Billingsley, 32, had been wanted on a first-degree murder warrant in the killing of LaPere, the CEO and founder of the software startup EcoMap Technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LaPere, 26, remem<\/a>b<\/a>ered b<\/a>y colleagues<\/a> as an important part of Baltimore\u2019s small tech scene, was found dead at an apartment of apparent blunt-force injuries Monday, police have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police and the U.S. Marshals Service launched a manhunt for Billingsley, who was also wanted in connection with an unrelated attempted murder and rape earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billingsley\u2019s mother was among those urging him to turn himself in<\/a>. Authorities also announced a $6,000 reward and warned he is armed and dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis individual will kill, and he will rape,\u201d Police Commissioner Richard Worley has said. \u201cHe will do anything he can to cause harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billingsley is a \u201crepeat violent offender,\u201d Baltimore City State\u2019s Attorney Ivan J. Bates said at a news conference while the manhunt was ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billingsley pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense and was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison, with 16 of those years suspended, court records show. He was paroled in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police have not released much information about LaPere’s death. She was reported missing and was found dead not long after that report was made, police have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EcoMap Technologies aims to improve the accessibility and efficiency of information ecosystems, according to its website. Its products include chatbots and other resources for businesses and groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LaPere was included on Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list<\/a> this year. It noted that her company’s clients include Meta and the T. Rowe Price Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was from Tucson, Arizona, and moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University. She fell in love with the city and stayed, those who knew her said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n