Baltimore police have found the man wanted for the first-degree murder of 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere. 32-year-old Jason Dean Billingsley was arrested about 30 miles from where the killing happened. Police are expected to hold a press conference with more information at 11 a.m. East Coast time.
LaPere is from Tucson, graduating from Catalina Foothills High School in 2015.
She was found dead in her Baltimore apartment Monday with evidence of blunt-force trauma to her head. She was the CEO of small startup EcoMap Technologies.
Baltimore Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley issued a warning to the public.
"This individual will kill and he will rape. He will do anything he can to cause harm, so please be aware of your surroundings," Worley said in a press conference.
Police said they are working diligently with law enforcement partners to apprehend Billingsley.
"I just have a message for Jason Billingsley. If you're out there watching, hopefully you are, every single police officer in Baltimore City, the state of Maryland, as well as the U.S. Marshals, are looking for you," Worley said. "We will find you. So I would ask you to turn yourself in to any officer or any police station because we will take you into custody eventually and then we will turn it over to the state's attorney to prosecute you to the fullest."
Billingsley's 72-year-old mother, Scarlett, spoke with NBC News Wednesday as the search for him continued. She said she spoke with her son through text, urging him to surrender to police.
She also told NBC News she was worried officers would shoot and kill her son when they find him.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called Billingsley extremely dangerous and said he "shouldn't have been out on the streets in the first place."
Billingsley has a history of arrests, including for multiple charges of sex offense, second-degree assault and robbery. Since his October 2022 release from prison, Billingsley has been listed in Maryland's sex offender database, according to CNN.
Scott, who had gotten to know LaPere, called her a talented and devoted Baltimorean who "would help anybody that she would see."
The tech executive was named on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social impact.
EcoMap is holding a vigil Wednesday evening to honor LaPere.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them immediately.
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