Trial Begins For 2 Men Accused Of Killing Baltimore Teacher's Aide In 2016 Case Of Mistaken Identity
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A murder trial is underway at federal court Tuesday in the 2016 death of a teacher's aide.
Prosecutors said two men wanted to kill a whistleblower and targeted the wrong woman, Latrina Ashburne, whose homicide case puzzled police at the time.
"We don't have a motive in this case. We don't know why this took place," then-Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said in 2016.
On May 27, 2016, Ashburne was shot and killed outside her home on Rosalind Avenue in Park Heights.
Prosecutors said she was not the intended target: it was her next-door neighbor, a whistleblower in a Medicaid fraud case.
Two men are charged in her murder, Davon Carter and Clifton Mosley. Both face conspiracy and witness retaliation charges.
Related Coverage:
- Man Accused In Killing Baltimore Teacher In Witness Retaliation Case Inches Closer To Trial
- Closing Arguments Heard In 2016 Mistaken Identity Murder Case Of Latrina Ashburne
"It's terrible the way people are just killing each other," a neighbor said.
The jury saw video of a person fleeing the scene, who officials said is Davon Carter.
They also heard testimony Monday from a neighbor who said they saw Ashburne murdered.
Her uncle told WJZ in 2016 he hoped justice would be served.
"A law-abiding, upstanding citizen in the community. We just don't understand why," Christian Hall said.
Ashburne was a teacher's aide and pastor at her church. Mosley and Carter's defense teams point out there is no DNA evidence or link to a murder weapon. They said Mosley was simply driving a car for a friend and claimed he was merely a small-time marijuana dealer in the neighborhood.
Defense attorneys said the two were friends with Hightower- the man that was ultimately convicted of the Medicaid fraud scam, but that is not related, they argue, to Ashburne's murder.
Court resumes Wednesday morning, weather permitting.
