Woman Mistaken for Witness Shot Dead in Plot to Silence Her Neighbor

A Baltimore woman was getting into her car when she was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity as part of a plot to silence a witness in a federal case, according to authorities.

Matthew Hightower, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, “for using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced.

Hightower pleaded guilty to the charge last year after authorities said he “plott[ed] the murder of woman, in a case of mistaken identity where the intended target was a federal witness.” The shooting left 41-year-old Latrina Ashburne dead.

The judge ordered Hightower’s sentence to run concurrently with the prison term he is currently serving following his conviction on charges of collection of a debt by extortionate means and use of interstate facilities for extortion resulting in death in connection with the death of a man named David Wutoh, who owed him money

Ashburne’s Neighbor was the Intended Target of Hightower’s Murder Plot to Prevent Her from Testifying Against Him

On May 27, 2016, Ashburne, who lived next door to the federal witness and was similar in age and appearance, was shot and killed as she entered her car outside of her home.

Hightower conspired to kill Ashburne’s neighbor “in retaliation for providing information to a law enforcement officer and to prevent her from testifying against him,” federal prosecutors said. That case involved the death of Wutoh and a healthcare fraud scheme in which Hightower was reportedly involved.

At the time, Hightower was under federal indictment for both matters. While incarcerated pre-trial, Hightower used jail calls and letters to communicate with others to conspire to kill the federal witness. Davon Carter, 46, was identified as the man who shot Ashburne and then fled from the scene. He reportedly had an accomplice, 49-year-old Clifton Mosley.

Carter and Mosley Were Captured on Surveillance Video ‘Looking for Someone’ Before the Shooting

After the shooting, Ashburne’s neighbor “contacted law enforcement to report the murder and that she believed she was the intended target,” prosecutors said. Investigators determined that Mosley’s phone was in the area at the time of the shooting and “in contact with Carter’s phone.”

Vehicles owned by the mother of Carter’s girlfriend and by Hightower were seen on surveillance video “driving slowly through the area as if the driver were looking for someone,” authorities said, noting that prosecutors indicated at trial that Carter and Mosley each drove a vehicle.

Carter and Mosley were ultimately each sentenced to four life terms in federal prison after being convicted of charges including two counts of conspiracy to murder a witness and one count each of witness retaliation murder and witness tampering murder.

Authorities maintained that after Hightower was charged in connection with the murder of Wutoh and the fraud scheme, he was in “frequent and regular contact” with Carter and Mosley.