A Baltimore man, Matthew Hightower, aged 43, has pleaded guilty to using a firearm during a violent crime, which resulted in the unfortunate death of Latrina Ashburne in May 2016. This plea could see Hightower facing a life sentence in federal prison, according to FOX Baltimore . Hightower was attempting to silence a federal witness, Ashburne's neighbor, who intended to testify against him in ongoing federal cases of health care fraud and another murder.

While incarcerated and waiting for his trial, Hightower used jail calls and letters to reportedly coordinate a hit to prevent the witness from testifying. A fatal mistake was made when Ashburne, resembling the witness in age and appearance, was wrongly targeted and killed as she was trying to enter her car. Following the tragedy, the actual shooter, Davon Carter, and his accomplice, Clifton Mosley, were convicted of their roles in the murder plot. Now, "Hightower faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison," FOX Baltimore reported.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland stated that as part of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 60 years, to run consecutively with Hightower's current sentence for the murder of David Wutoh.

Following her death, a GoFundMe campaign was established to help Ashburne's family and to continue her outreach efforts. "Our dear sister Latrina's untimely death left family, friends, co-workers, students and church memebers in a state of shock," the campaign organizers wrote. "Latrina was an evangelical of the church, servant in the community and advocate for the youth." The campaign further stated, "She was on a mission prior to her untimely death on Friday, May 27, 2016 to spread the gospel, feed the homeless and restore church," as reported by Daily Voice .