BALTIMORE — A federal grand jury has convicted 39-year-old Davon Carter and 41-year-old Clifton Mosley for two counts of conspiracy to murder a witness and one count each of witness retaliation murder and witness tampering murder, related the death of 41-year-old Latrina Ashburne in May 2016.
Carter was also convicted of a federal narcotics conspiracy charge, two counts of using a cellular telephone to facilitate the commission of a felony, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Mosley was also convicted of distribution of marijuana.
According to the evidence presented during their three-week trial, Carter and Mosley conspired to kill a witness who provided information to law enforcement about a friend of Carters who was eventually charged federally in a health care fraud scheme.
While on release in the health care fraud case, the federal grand jury began investigating crimes of violence for which Matthew Hightower was implicated, including the murder of David Wutoh.
In July or August 2015, Hightower learned the identity of the health care fraud whistleblower who also had incriminating information against him relating to the Wutoh murder.
Contrary to his release conditions, officials say he began communicating with witnesses who had been in the grand jury. All the while, Carter and Mosley remained in frequent and regular contact with Hightower.
In April 2016, the grand jury returned a sealed superseding indictment against Hightower charging both Hightower and Harry Crawford with extortion and using interstate facilities for extortion resulting in the death (murder) of David Wutoh.
Ten days later, the government filed a motion requesting revocation of Hightower’s release conditions based on the new charges and his prohibited contact with grand jury witnesses.
The motion was granted and Hightower was detained. Hightower was ultimately convicted of extortion resulting in Wutoh’s murder by a federal jury on September 22, 2016, after a seven-day trial and was sentenced to 380 months in federal prison.
While Hightower was detained, Carter assumed responsibility for Hightower’s marijuana distribution business and engaged in direct communications with the source of supply.
Carter also collected money and ran other errands for Hightower.
According to the evidence presented, on May 27, 2016, Ms. Ashburne was murdered in the early morning as she got into her car outside the home she shared with her mother in the 2900 block of Rosalind Avenue in Baltimore’s Cylburn neighborhood.
Carter and Mosley each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison for each of the two conspiracy counts and for the witness retaliation and witness tampering murder charges. Carter faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and for the narcotics conspiracy, and faces a maximum of eight years in prison for each of the two counts of using a cellular telephone to facilitate the commission of a felony.
Mosley also faces a maximum of five years in prison for distribution of marijuana.
They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 11.
