MURDER USA Davon Carter faces possible death sentence; indicted for witness retaliation that ended with the murder of Pastor Latrina Ashburne
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury in Baltimore, Maryland returned a six-count indictment against Davon Carter, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland. The indictment was unsealed Dec. 20, 2017, following the initial appearance of Carter in federal court. Four of the counts relate to the murder of Latrina Ashburne, age 41, on May 27, 2016. For these charges, Carter faces a possible death sentence or mandatory life in prison. Carter is also charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition the day of the murder as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Those charges carry a maximum term of 10 years in prison.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio of the Department of Health and Human Services, Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Commissioner Kevin Davis, Baltimore Police Department.
According to the six-count indictment, Carter killed Ashburne with intent to retaliate against a witness for providing to a law enforcement officer information relating to the commission and possible commission of a Federal offense
According to the six-count indictment, Carter killed Ashburne with intent to retaliate against a witness for providing to a law enforcement officer information relating to the commission and possible commission of a Federal offense and to prevent the attendance and testimony of a person in an official proceeding. The witness who was the target of the killing was not named in the Indictment.
According to the Baltimore Police Department, 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 Ave. in the Cylburn neighborhood. The police reported that an unknown male approached and shot Ms. Ashburne in the upper body as she tried to run. At the time, the police also released a video they said showed the suspect fleeing the scene of the shooting on foot.
A detention hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.
Fox 45 TV News reports: At the time of Ashburne’s death, police released surveillance footage of a suspect taken a block from where she was killed.
“There was no robbery as far as we know. There was nothing even said to the victim in this case,” Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith said at the time.
Ashburne’s family says she was an innocent person who worked as a teacher’s aide at Francis Scott Key Elementary School and was helping in her uncle’s ministry and feeding the homeless.