Baltimore County man pleads guilty to 2022 home-invasion murder in Glen Burnie
A Baltimore County man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the home-invasion murder of 27-year-old Matthew Ponder in Glen Burnie in 2022.
Andre Raquan Riggs, 28, of Middle River, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and a felony crime of violence, more than four years after Ponder was shot and killed inside a home during an armed robbery.
Riggs is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19, 2026.
"This was certainly a terrifying home invasion that ultimately resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Ponder," Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said. "Digital evidence played a critical role in identifying this defendant, who came to the home armed with a gun for the purpose of stealing valuables in the middle of the night."
At about 2:24 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022, Anne Arundel County police and paramedics responded to a home in the 400 block of M Street Northeast in Glen Burnie for a report of a shooting.
Ponder was found inside the home suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said surveillance video from the home and neighboring properties showed two potential suspects approach the home before the shooting and leave afterward.
Investigators said the suspects arrived in the area in a passenger vehicle and parked on a parallel street near the home. They then used the vehicle to leave after the murder.
Additional surveillance footage showed the two suspects approaching the home's rear door while wearing hooded sweatshirts. After approaching the door several times and walking away, they returned and covered the rear camera with a plastic bag, police said.
Inside the home, Ponder and a woman were robbed by the two suspects, according to police. The woman told investigators that several items were stolen, including "older and collectible" currency.
Digital evidence placed Riggs near the home at the time of the crime, prosecutors said. Investigators also found that Riggs searched online for Ponder's address before the murder and for the value of a "1950 ten-dollar bill" after the murder.
