[UPDATE] Baltimore Tech CEO Murder: Suspect Arrested Following Manhunt

Baltimore police have ended a manhunt after successfully arresting the suspect in the murder of a 26-year-old tech CEO.

The development comes as the release of the individual, identified as 32-year-old Jason Dean Billingsley, on a prior conviction comes under further scrutiny. Authorities said that law enforcement personnel arrested the suspect in Maryland without incident at around 11:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Baltimore Murdered Arrested

Billingsley's arrest comes as he is wanted for first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and other charges in connection with the death of Pava LaPere, who is the founder of EcoMap Technologies.

Police officers discovered LaPere's dead body inside her apartment with "blunt-force trauma wounds" on Monday in Baltimore, only a few hours after she was reported missing. Baltimore Commissioner Richard Worley said that there were no signs of forced entry and it remains unclear if there was any previous connection between the suspect and the victim.

Worley noted that while the arrest does not bring back LaPere, he hopes that it could at least give a sense of closure to the city of Baltimore, the victims of all his crimes, and all their families, as per ABC News.

Officials were also seeking Billingsley in connection with an attempted murder, arson, and rape that occurred on Sept. 19 in the 800 block of Edmonson Avenue. In that particular case, police responding to the report of a fire discovered a man and a woman suffering from multiple undisclosed injuries.

The victims were quickly transported to area hospitals in critical condition and police added that they also found a five-year-old on the upper level of the home unharmed. Billingsley was a worker at the building and he apparently knew the victims, who Worley said were targeted. The commissioner added that all of the indications pointed to the case not being a random act of violence.

Officials issued a warrant for Billingsley's arrest within hours and authorities were actively surveilling and tracking the suspect to apprehend him when they announced on Tuesday that he was also a suspect in LaPere's murder.

Killing of Tech CEO

Following Billingsley's arrest, LaPere's family thanked law enforcement personnel, saying that they were "relieved to know he can no longer hurt other innocent victims." The family added that their focus was now on remembering and celebrating their deceased loved one, according to NBC News.

Worley noted that officials believe the suspect killed the victim on Friday night but investigators are still processing evidence to determine exactly what happened between the two. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said that the victim's family had asked police not to share details about the incident.

While law enforcement personnel were searching for Billingsley, Worley noted that they believed the suspect was "armed and dangerous." He added that the individual will kill and rape and do anything he can to cause harm to other people.

Detectives are now reviewing all cases since October 2022 to determine if there are any other connections with Billingsley. In 2015, he was convicted of a sex offense and released in October 2022. Maryland's database lists the suspect as a registered sex offender, said Yahoo News.