Parents of murdered tech CEO Pava LaPere push Maryland lawmakers to pass bill in daughter's name

ANNAPOLIS -- Parents of murdered tech CEO Pava LaPere testified before lawmakers Tuesday, pushing for their support to eventually pass a bill in their daughter's name.

HB 301, also known as the Pava Marie LaPere Act, would bar diminution credits for those convicted of first-degree rape and most violent sex crimes.

Sometimes called "good time" credits, these credits are earned through good behavior.

Before going into the hearing, Frank LaPere and Caroline LaPere told reporters they were going to speak from the heart in their testimony.

The two shared their pain with legislators, saying no other family should go through what they have -- adding that passing this bill will ensure that.

"Let us work together as a community and as a legislature," Frank LaPere said. "A mother should never have to nurse herself back to health after a horrific act of repeat violence, a sibling should not lose his best friend, and a father should kiss his daughter good night and try not to cry himself to sleep through avoidable loss."

Pava LaPere was found murdered at her Mount Vernon apartment building in September. LaPere, 26, was a rising tech CEO in Baltimore. She founded EcoMap Technologies.

Jason Billingsley, the suspect in the murder, pleaded guilty to sexual assault in 2015. He was sentenced to 30 years, but 16 years were suspended -- meaning he only had to serve 14.

He only served seven, though, being released in Oct. 2022 because he earned enough diminution credits. Frank LaPere doesn't want that to happen again.

"We cannot allow the system that failed Pava to continue," Frank LaPere said. "She is physically gone from the world, her vision and dreams will still live on."

Critics of the bill testified HB 301 doesn't address the issue of reoffending, that it only delays violent offenders from being released.

Caroline LaPere testified getting this bill passed would not only help families, but also honor her daughter's memory.

"Pava did very well in her short life, so now it's time for someone else to carry the torches that she carried," she said. "One of them was for equity. The other was for justice."

HB 301 still has a long way to go before it can reach Gov. Wes Moore's desk for a signature. If passed as it is now, it would go into effect in October.

Billingsley is due for a hearing on Zoom in March, according to online court records.