Memorial held to honor slain Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere
BALTIMORE -- The family of slain tech CEO Pava LaPere held a memorial in her honor at Johns Hopkins Homewood campus today.
The 26-year-old was killed at her Mt Vernon apartment in September. Jason Billingsley was charged with her murder and is being held without bond.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Parents of slain tech trailblazer Pava LaPere honor their daughter's legacy
Just one day after WJZ spoke exclusively with Pava LaPere's parents, they returned to her alma mater Johns Hopkins University Saturday, to celebrate her life and keep her legacy alive.
"You have heard that Pava changed a lot of lives for the better and that's including mine," said Pava's mother, Caroline LaPere.
Caroline LaPere knew her daughter Pava was special from the start.
"As Pava's mom I often asked, who is this child that thinks she should be my mother," LaPere said.
A natural born leader –Pava LaPere's family and everyone that knew her described her as bright, confident and ambitious at her celebration of life on Saturday.
Pava's uncle, Jonathan, said, "She used her talents and abilities to serve and improve the lives of others."
At 26, she was on her way to changing the world. She started her company, Ecomap Technologies, five years ago when she was still a student at Johns Hopkins University. Ecomap uses AI to help entrepreneurs find resources to start businesses or nonprofits within their local community.
Pava's colleague and CEO of Upsurge Baltimore, Kory Bailey, said, "She saw a world where anyone from any zip code from any part of the city could build their business and so she went about creating the technology to make that possible for people."
Her murder shocked the city. The man charged with killing her at her Mt Vernon apartment in September, Jason Billingsly, is a convicted felon and registered sex offender out on parole.
Governor Wes Moore acknowledged this during his remarks at the service.
"The same system that she wanted to fix – it failed her... and I'm never going to forget that either," said Moore.
Although she's now gone, Pava's mother says her legacy will continue.
"I want Pava's exit from this universe to be a motivator for everyone, let's look around and see what might be improved," said LaPere.
At the celebration of life today, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels announced a new facility and a new endowment devoted to supporting student innovators in Pava's honor.