Baltimore man gets 40 years in prison for plotting murder of woman
BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore man was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for plotting the murder of a woman, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
In a case of mistaken identity, the intended target was a federal witness. The May 2016 murder resulted in the death of Latrina Ashburne.
44-year-old Matthew Hightower was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for using a gun during, and in relation to a violent crime.
The sentence was ordered to run concurrently, beginning Oct. 8, to the prison term Hightower is currently serving for the murder of David Wutoh.
According to court documents, in May 2016, Hightower conspired with others to kill Ashburne’s neighbor, a female federal witness, for providing information to law enforcement and to stop her from testifying against him.
Hightower learned that the federal witness provided law enforcement with information about his involvement in a healthcare fraud scheme and the murder of a separate victim, David Wutoh. At the time, Hightower faced federal charges in both matters.
While incarcerated before trial, Hightower used jail calls and letters to communicate with others and conspire to kill the federal witness.
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.
Both from Baltimore, Davon Carter, 46, the shooter, and Clifton Mosley, 49, who helped carry out the plot, are serving federal life sentences for their roles in Ashburne's murder.
On Sept. 22, 2016, after a seven-day trial, a federal jury convicted Hightower. He was sentenced to 380 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for using extortion to collect a debt and for his role in Wutoh’s murder.
Hightower will spend the next 40 years in federal prison for his role in Ashburne's murder plot, adding to the sentence he is already serving for Wutoh’s murder.