On the morning of May 27, 2016, 41-year-old Latrina Ashburne, a teacher's aide and associate pastor, was tragically shot and killed as she was getting into her car outside her home on Rosalind Avenue in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The investigation into her death would reveal a chilling case of mistaken identity, a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated from behind prison walls, and a tragic end for a woman described as a beloved member of her community.
Authorities
determined that Ashburne was not the intended victim. The actual target was her next-door neighbor, who was a federal witness in a Medicaid fraud case. The plan to silence this witness was set in motion by Matthew Hightower, who was incarcerated while under federal indictment for the fraud scheme and a separate murder. From jail, Hightower conspired with others to have the witness killed in retaliation for her cooperation with law enforcement.
Two men, Davon Carter and Clifton Mosley, were identified as the individuals who carried out the fatal attack. Prosecutors stated that Carter was the gunman who, due to an obstructed view, mistakenly identified Ashburne as the target. Mosley served as the getaway driver. Following the shooting, Carter reportedly fled to Myrtle Beach in an attempt to create an alibi.
In January 2020, both Carter and Mosley were found guilty on all counts, which included murder, conspiracy to murder a witness, and witness retaliation. The trial, which lasted three weeks, relied on evidence such as surveillance video and cell phone records that placed the two men at the scene of the crime. Later, in June 2025, Matthew Hightower pleaded guilty to his role in orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot. As part of a plea agreement, it was recommended that he receive a 60-year prison sentence to be served consecutively with the sentence he was already serving for another murder.
