The convicted sexual attacker accused of murdering Pava LaPere in Baltimore last week attempted to gain access to her apartment building two days after the tech CEO was brutally killed.
Cops say LaPere, 26, was killed Friday night, although her body wasn’t discovered until after someone reported her missing Monday morning.
Suspect Jason Billingsley, 32, was finally taken into custody five days after the crime took place. He is charged with first-degree murder.
The rooftop where she was found has now been pictured for the first time, along with the narrow ladder shaft the suspected killer is believed to have used to access it.
Jason Billingsley entered Pava LaPere’s ‘secure’ apartment building on September 22, her badly-beaten body was discovered on the roof three days later
New photos have emerged showing the roof-area of LaPere’s home where her body was found
The roof is not considered an amenity and is only accessible through a narrow shaft
The area is not maintained and is not advertised as being used by tenants
It remains unclear if she was murdered before she was dumped on the roof, or if she was killed on the roof. Police have remained tight-lipped on details of the crime.
LaPere, who founded the tech startup EcoMap Technologies from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma.
A neighbor in the building has now claimed that two days after the murder, Billingsley returned to the scene and tried to follow her in inside.
A neighbor says that Jason Billingsley attempted to gain access to the Pava LaPere’s building two days after the murder
The neighbor said she felt a ‘vibe’ when she noticed Billingsley and that it made her pause when entering the building access code.
‘Look, you know, I didn’t feel right. I felt like something was wrong,’ the neighbor, speaking anonymously, told NewsNation last night.
The Baltimore Police Department has refused to comment on the report, citing confidentiality regarding witness testimony.
Surveillance footage shows LaPere arriving home Friday night and sitting on a couch in the lobby when Billingsley approached the building and waved her over to the glass door, police said.
Jason Billingsley, 32, was apprehended on Wednesday by cops at a train station around 30 miles from where LaPere, 26, was found bludgeoned to death
She opened the door and started talking to him, and they were seen getting on the elevator together, according to the warrant.
Billingsley was then seen ‘scrambling for an exit’ less than an hour later and wiping his hand on his shorts before leaving the apartment building, police said.
Earlier Friday evening, LaPere had attended a festival celebrating the Baltimore arts community.
NewsNation’s Evan Lambert gained access to the LaPere’s building’s roof Thursday and reported that the area is not well-maintained or is easily accessible.
Her neighbor told the network that she suspected LaPere liked to spend time up there, adding that the roof is always unlocked and unguarded.
Accessing the roof includes climbing up a small ladder and other staircases.
‘Did Pava go up there willingly? We know according to the police charging documents, that she was in the elevator with this suspect who they say murdered her. But did she go up to the roof willingly you know, it would be really tough to force or drag someone up there,’ Lambert reported.
Lambert went on to report that from talking to LaPere’s friends and neighbors, the victim was trusting and supportive of people in her community.
‘In the way that the surveillance video is described, you can almost see the naivete of her to kind of welcome him in possibly.’
‘We’re not sure if at what point it turned into a forcible situation, but at least the very beginning it begs a lot of questions, did she want to show him the roof, those are all things that police are investigating right now,’ Lambert said.
Billingsley was arrested at 11pm on Wednesday at a train station around 30 miles from where LaPere was found dead.
Baltimore Police Commissioner, Richard Worley, denied making a mistake by delaying issuing info on Billingsley – who he branded a ‘psychopath’ – to the public following the first incident.
LaPere was found dead on the roof of her building, which is the former site of the Congress Hotel, where one bedroom apartments rent for $1,500 a month
Authorities confirmed that here was ‘no forced entry’ into LaPere’s apartment building and they ‘don’t know’ if there were any prior connection between her and Billingsley
Members of LaPere’s family spoke during the vigil to honor the slain entrepreneur on Wednesday
Police repeatedly came under fire for their handling of the investigation during the press conference on Thursday – but hit back to defend a barrage of criticism.
Authorities say the incident on September 19 was not a random attack, and that Billingsley knew the victims – so they did not alert the public to the potential risk as there was no indication he would commit further crimes.
Law enforcement also confirmed he is suspected of stealing a firearm, telling his victim that he would be ‘difficult to apprehend’.
Billingsley’s mother was among those urging him to turn himself in after he came to her property with a gun. Authorities also announced a $6,000 reward in the case.
The violent convicted criminal, who was released early from his 30-year sentence for attempted rape, had been working in the building.
He is accused of breaking into the basement apartment and attacking a woman and man, both 26, while a 5-year-old child was in the property.
Billingsley then raped the woman, and set fire to the building, with police linking him to the crime less than 24 hours later.
But Worley claims they did not issue a flyer on the incident because it was not a ‘random act’, and defended the actions of the police force.
‘He went to that location for a criminal reason,’ he said. ‘ We were monitoring the suspect, which included tracking his phone, financial transactions, social media and his known addresses.
‘In several instances we were able to track him in close proximity, and delayed the press conference on Monday because we were around 88 meters from capturing him.
‘But he was able to elude capture. We knew the risk was that when we went public, he would go underground, and that is exactly what he did.
‘The news conference happened the other day, and he left the location where a search warrant had been issued when he watched it.’
Despite being tracked by officers for three days, he entered LaPere’s ‘secure’ apartment building where her badly-beaten body was discovered on the roof.
Billingsley was tracked by law enforcement to the MARC Train Station on Laurel-Bowie Road in Bowie, Prince George’s County, on Wednesday evening.
He was arrested ‘without incident’, with Worley stating that he was ‘surrounded by a SWAT team’ and cooperated with officers.
The suspected killer was charged with first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment in relation to LaPere’s death.
Authorities confirmed there was ‘no forced entry’ into LaPere’s apartment building and ‘don’t know’ if there were any prior connection between her and Billingsley.
Billingsley had been compliant with his sex offender notification, but failed to show up as his scheduled appointment on Monday.
The violent criminal was released in 2022 because of ‘good credit’, after being convicted of attempted rape and handed a 30-year sentence by a judge.
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