Matthew Hightower, 44, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that killed the wrong woman outside her Northwest Baltimore home a decade ago. Hightower was trying to silence a witness set to testify against him, according to federal prosecutors, but the hit instead claimed the life of 41-year-old Latrina Ashburne, who was shot while trying to get into her car outside her Rosalind Avenue home in May 2016.
Ashburne had nothing to do with Hightower's case. She happened to live on the same block and bore a resemblance to the intended witness, according to The Baltimore Banner. Hightower admitted he paid co-defendant Davon Carter cash and marijuana to kill the witness, per the same account, a transaction that instead ended with an innocent neighbor's death. As reported by WBAL-TV, Hightower acted alongside two other co-defendants in the scheme.
A Case That Took a Decade to Resolve
The timeline of the prosecution stretched across ten years. Carter and Clifton Mosley were convicted on federal murder conspiracy and witness retaliation murder charges in January 2020, but it wasn't until 2023 that federal authorities obtained a grand jury indictment charging Hightower himself, according to The Baltimore Banner. Hightower ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges in 2025, as reported by The Baltimore Sun.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Hightower conspired to kill Ashburne with the intent to retaliate against the witness and prevent that person from testifying, according to FOX45 Baltimore. Prosecutors had sought an additional 60 years behind bars under the plea agreement before the judge handed down the final 40-year term, The Baltimore Banner reported.
Sentence Runs Alongside an Earlier Murder Conviction
The judge ordered Hightower's latest sentence to begin Thursday, and it will run concurrently with the more than 30-year sentence he is already serving, according to WBAL-TV. That earlier case involved a health care scheme and the murder of another man, stemming from charges Hightower first faced in 2015 tied to a scam to overcharge Medicaid for adult diapers and the killing of David Wutoh, The Baltimore Banner reported.
In court, Hightower said he was sorry for ruining the victim's family and his own family, according to WBAL-TV. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Ashburne was an innocent woman who lost her life because she was mistaken for someone else, adding that the case highlights the consequences of violence and the importance of law enforcement cooperation.
Co-Defendants Already Serving Life Sentences
Carter and Mosley, both previously convicted in the killing, were each sentenced in 2021 to four life sentences, per The Baltimore Banner. Carter, described as a career criminal, received four life sentences in federal prison for his role, according to CBS News Baltimore, while Mosley, 42, was convicted on January 29, 2020, the outlet reported.
Not everyone in Hightower's corner viewed the sentence as the full picture of who he is. Kamal Goodwin said Hightower was sentenced as someone who committed the act, but that the sentence did not represent who he was or is.
