Prosecutors can use statements that a man who’s accused of killing a tech entrepreneur made to Baltimore Police against him at trial, a judge ruled on Thursday.

“The facts in this case are pretty straightforward,” Baltimore Circuit Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr. said. “They were voluntary statements,” he later added.

Though it was “not a very smart thing” for Detective Mark Veney to at one point describe waiving Miranda rights as a formality, Taylor said, the remark had to be viewed in context. Jason Billingsley knew what was going on during the interrogation, the judge said, as he declined to answer some questions and chose to respond to other ones.

Taylor also rejected an argument that Billingsley was not promptly brought before a district court commissioner after his arrest.

Billingsley, 32, of Sandtown-Winchester, is charged with first-degree murder and carrying a dangerous weapon openly with the intent to injure in the killing Pava LaPere, who started EcoMap Technologies while she was a student at the Johns Hopkins University.

Her body was found on the roof of her apartment building on West Franklin Street, between North Eutaw and North Howard streets in Mount Vernon, on Sept. 25, 2023. She was 26.

LaPere had recently been named to the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list in the category of social impact.

Billingsley’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jason Rodriguez, filed a motion to suppress the statements, arguing that police did not properly give the Miranda warnings to his client.

“Any deviation from it essentially makes it null and void,” Rodriguez said. “And that deviation is what we have here.”

“From the very beginning, multiple times through this, Mr. Billingsley expresses great confusion,” he added.

Rodriguez said he did not want to include his client’s statements in the motion because of the “high profile nature” of the case, noting that the filing is a public record. Taylor watched most of the police interrogation of Billingsley in his chambers.

Meanwhile, Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Stock contended that detectives properly informed Billingsley of his rights and added that he chose to exercise his right not to answer certain questions.

“This isn’t the first time that Mr. Billingsley has been exposed to these interrogations,” Stock said. “He knew what he was doing.”

Before the killing, Billingsley held Jonte Gilmore and April Hurley hostage in the basement of a home on Edmondson Avenue in West Baltimore, police allege.

On Sept. 19, 2023, Billingsley, police said, sexually assaulted Hurley, cut her throat, poured gasoline on them and set the two on fire. He’s also charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, rape, home invasion, arson and related offenses.

The Baltimore Banner does not identify people who report that they’re survivors of sexual assault without their permission. Hurley spoke about her recollection of events and recovery in an interview.

The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office is seeking life without the possibility of parole.

Billingsley is set to stand trial on Aug. 26. He’s being held without bail in the Baltimore Central Booking & Intake Center, according to jail records.