Location: Rosalind Avenue, northwest Baltimore, Maryland
Date: May 27, 2016
Accused: No one awaiting trial. Matthew Hightower, 44, pleaded guilty; Davon Carter, 46, and Clifton Mosley, 49, were convicted by a jury
Charges: Hightower: using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime resulting in death. Carter and Mosley: conspiracy to murder a witness, witness retaliation murder and witness tampering murder
Status: Hightower sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on October 8, 2026. Carter and Mosley are serving federal life sentences
Latrina Ashburne, a 41-year-old teacher's aide and associate pastor, was shot and died outside her home in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 27, 2016, after she was mistaken for a neighbor who was a federal witness. On Thursday, October 8, 2026, a federal judge sentenced Matthew Hightower, 44, the Baltimore man who admitted setting the plot in motion while he was in jail, to 40 years in prison.
The sentence comes more than ten years after Ashburne's death. The two men who carried out the plot were convicted in 2020 and are serving life terms. Hightower was the last of the three men named by federal prosecutors to be sentenced.
Who Was Latrina Ashburne?
Ashburne lived with her mother on Rosalind Avenue in northwest Baltimore. Local reporting describes her as a teacher's aide, and The Christian Post reported in 2016 that she worked at Francis Scott Key Elementary School.
She was also an associate pastor. The Christian Post reported that her uncle, the Rev. Christian Hall, was the senior pastor of her church and that she began preaching as a teenager. Hall told The Baltimore Sun at the time, in remarks quoted by The Christian Post, that she was an elder and youth coordinator. "She loved helping young people," he said.
What Happened on Rosalind Avenue?
Early on the morning of Friday, May 27, 2016, Ashburne left her home for her car. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, a man approached and shot her as she was getting into the vehicle. She was not robbed, and she died.
Baltimore police said at the time that they had no motive. Prosecutors later said that Ashburne's next-door neighbor contacted law enforcement to report the shooting and told investigators she believed she had been the intended target.
Why Was a Federal Witness Targeted?
The neighbor had given information to law enforcement about Hightower. In June 2015 he was charged in a federal health care fraud case, and prosecutors said he was later implicated in the death of a man named David Wutoh. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the witness had told investigators about his role in both matters.
A judge revoked Hightower's pretrial release on May 4, 2016, and he was detained. Prosecutors said that from custody he used jail calls and letters to arrange for the witness to be killed, both in retaliation and to keep her from testifying. In his plea, The Baltimore Banner reported, Hightower admitted paying Davon Carter in cash and marijuana.
Ashburne had no connection to that case, authorities have said. She was similar to the witness in age and appearance and was shot by mistake.
Who Has Been Convicted?
Davon Carter, whom prosecutors identified as the shooter, and Clifton Mosley, described as his accomplice, were found guilty by a federal jury in Baltimore on January 29, 2020, after a three-week trial. The counts included conspiracy to murder a witness, witness retaliation murder and witness tampering murder. Carter was sentenced to four life terms in May 2021 and Mosley received the same sentence in September 2021.
Hightower was convicted separately in September 2016, after a seven-day trial, of extortion charges connected to Wutoh's death and was sentenced to 380 months. Federal authorities obtained an indictment against him in the Ashburne case in 2023. On June 16, 2025, the day his trial had been due to begin according to The Baltimore Banner, he pleaded guilty to using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime resulting in death.
What Did the Judge Decide on October 8?
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher sentenced Hightower to 40 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the term runs concurrently with the sentence he is already serving.
The Baltimore Banner reported that prosecutors had asked for 60 years on top of his existing sentence, while his defense attorneys asked for 30 years. The outlet also reported that a member of Ashburne's family wrote to the judge before the hearing, saying the long case had been difficult and that a sentence would bring some measure of closure.
What Officials Have Said
"Witness intimidation strikes at the heart of our justice system," U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes said in a statement announcing the sentence.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said in the same announcement that Ashburne was an innocent woman who was "mistaken for someone else."
When Hightower pleaded guilty in 2025, The Baltimore Banner quoted Aaron Zelinsky, a former federal prosecutor who worked on the case from its start: "The life of an extraordinary woman was senselessly ended in a craven attempt to escape justice."
What Happens Next
All three men named by federal prosecutors in the plot have now been sentenced. Hightower's new term began on October 8, and Carter and Mosley remain in federal prison on life sentences. The case was investigated by the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the ATF, Baltimore police and Baltimore County police.
Timeline of the Latrina Ashburne Case
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 4, 2016 | A court revokes Hightower's release and he is detained. |
| May 27, 2016 | Latrina Ashburne, 41, is shot outside her Rosalind Avenue home and dies. |
| September 22, 2016 | A jury convicts Hightower of extortion charges connected to the death of David Wutoh. |
| January 29, 2020 | A federal jury convicts Davon Carter and Clifton Mosley in Ashburne's death. |
| May 20, 2021 | Carter is sentenced to four life terms. |
| September 2021 | Mosley is sentenced to four concurrent life terms. |
| 2023 | A federal grand jury indicts Hightower in the Ashburne case. |
| June 16, 2025 | Hightower pleads guilty to a federal firearm charge. |
| October 8, 2026 | Hightower is sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Latrina Ashburne killed?
Federal prosecutors say it was a case of mistaken identity. The intended target was her next-door neighbor, a witness who had given information to law enforcement about Matthew Hightower. Ashburne had no connection to that case.
How long is Matthew Hightower's sentence?
He was sentenced on October 8, 2026, to 40 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. The term runs concurrently with a 380-month sentence he was already serving in a separate case.
What happened to Davon Carter and Clifton Mosley?
A federal jury convicted both men in January 2020. Each was sentenced in 2021 to four life terms in federal prison.
MotiveX covers cases like this in documentary form on YouTube.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland: announcement of Matthew Hightower's 40-year sentence (October 8, 2026)
- The Baltimore Banner: report on the sentencing hearing
- FOX45 Baltimore: report on the 40-year sentence
- U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland: announcement of Hightower's guilty plea (June 16, 2025)
- The Baltimore Banner: report on the 2025 guilty plea
- U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland: announcement of Davon Carter's sentence (May 20, 2021)
- U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland: announcement of Clifton Mosley's sentence (September 22, 2021)
- CBS Baltimore: report on the 2020 jury verdict
- The Christian Post: 2016 report on Latrina Ashburne's life and ministry
- Law&Crime: report on the sentencing
- Daily Voice: report on the sentencing
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