Sister shares heartbreak over Baltimore teacher's aide killed in case of mistaken identity
More than a decade after 41-year-old Latrina Ashburne was killed in a murder-for-hire plot, the man who orchestrated the brutal crime has been sentenced.
The pain has never ended for Ashburne's family in a killing federal prosecutors called "evil" and "shocking."
The letter
In a handwritten letter, Ashburne's sister said loved ones live in a "constant state of grief."
"Her presence is missed at graduations, new births, and every milestone that should be a joyful occasion," she says. "Instead, these moments are overshadowed by the painful reminder that she is no longer with us."
She also honored Ashburne's work as a teacher's aide at Francis Scott Key Elementary School and as an associate pastor in her church.
"My sister's absence is deeply felt in every part of our lives," the letter states. "She was a devoted sister, aunt, and daughter, and she also gave so much of herself to her church family, her students, and even the homeless she helped."
She asked that the man behind the plot that killed her sister be held accountable.
"Delivering justice for my sister will not erase our pain, but it will allow us some measure of closure, knowing that accountability has been served for the innocent life that was so unjustly taken," she writes.
Witness to murder
Especially painful for the family is the anguish of Ashburne's elderly mother.
Court records reveal she witnessed her daughter's killing from the window of her townhome, and her cries could be heard in the 911 calls as she rushed to her daughter's side.
"Since then, her health has declined, and she now struggles with fear, anxiety, and the inability to live or travel alone," a surviving daughter wrote the judge.
Ashburne's life ended on May 27, 2016, outside her Rosalind Avenue townhome in Northwest Baltimore when a gunman stalked her and chased her, ultimately shooting her in the chest.
Court records reveal that the gunman had an accomplice and ambushed Ashburne early in the morning as she left to go to her car for work.
The shooter and his lookout both previously received life sentences.
The man behind "evil" plot
Investigators uncovered evidence that Matthew Hightower set the plot in motion.
Hightower was already being prosecuted for murder and healthcare fraud when he was able to gain the identity of a key witness in the case and hatched a plot to kill her.
That female witness lived in the same townhome complex as Ashburne and drove a similar vehicle.
Prosecutors said Hightower spoke in code using a burner phone from behind bars as he coordinated the murder with his friends Davon Carter, 46, the shooter, and Clifton Mosley, 49, his accomplice.
Hightower's jailhouse calls were recorded, with prosecutors revealing he referred to the witness against him, a former co-worker, as "the lady causing all the bull****… ."
The morning of the killing, the suspects parked a block away from the witness's home, and Carter ambushed what he thought was his target from a trail near the townhomes.
But Carter mistook Ashburne for the federal witness and mistakenly killed her instead.
Funding the murder
Investigators reviewed jailhouse messages between Hightower and those he hired for the killing, where they let him know they successfully carried out the brutal plot.
But they quickly learned Ashburne had been killed and the witness—their intended target— survived.
Prosecutors said even from prison, Hightower had access to large amounts of cash from drug proceeds and used the money to pay Carter and Mosley.
Hightower has been locked up since just days before Ashburne's 2016 murder.
He is serving 380 months in prison, or more than 31 years, for another killing, the extortion plot that ended the life of David Wutoh.
His 40-year sentence for Ashburn's killing will run concurrently with his current prison term.
Hightower's family, including several of his children, wrote letters of support ahead of his sentencing.
Hightower's attorney said he did accept responsibility for his actions.
