Tech CEO Pava LaPere’s Accused Killer Was Released Early From Prison Because of Good Behavior Credits 

A man accused of killing a young tech entrepreneur in Maryland last week had previously been released from prison early because of a good behavior system, according to reports. 

The Baltimore Banner reported that Jason Billingsley, now 32, had been handed a 30-year prison sentence in 2015 after pleading guilty to a first-degree sex offense charge. His 30-year sentence came with a 16-year suspension, meaning he was required to serve the first 14 years. And upon his release 14 years later, a judge could mandate that he return to prison for the balance of the 16 remaining years if he violated the conditions of his release. 

The 14-year term would have meant Billingsley got out in 2029, but he was released from prison much earlier. He got out last fall in October 2022 after earning "diminution" credits that allowed him to cash in good behavior points and shave years off the sentence. 

These credits incentivize people “to take advantage of programs and disincentivizes people who don’t take advantage of those programs and who otherwise get infractions,” Becky Feldman, a former defense attorney and prosecutor, told the Baltimore Banner. 

A year after Billingsley got out of prison, he was placed on the wanted list after allegedly killing Pava LaPere, the 26-year-old co-founder of EcoMap Technologies. The organization describes itself as a company that uses technology to "digitize ecosystems, ensuring anyone can easily access the information they need, so ecosystems can be as equitable, efficient, & effective as possible.”

LaPere’s body was found at an apartment building in Baltimore, Maryland, Monday morning, and police said there was evidence of “blunt force trauma.” 

Richard Worley, acting police commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, said in a press conference prior to Billingsley’s capture that he is a man “who will kill” and “who will rape.”

Police arrested Billingsley on Thursday at a train station in Bowie, Maryland, located about 30 miles south of Baltimore.