Baltimore, Maryland – Two Baltimore men received federal-prison terms for their roles in multiple carjackings, including one that resulted in a murder.
U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Jerritt Barron, 24, to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and Jeremy Matheny, 27, to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an attempted carjacking that resulted in death.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentences with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, in June 2022, Barron and Matheny conspired with co-conspirators Nefertiti Moore, 23, and Antonio Purisima, 25, also from Baltimore, to commit several armed carjackings. Purisima, who is also charged with carjacking resulting in death, engaged in a carjacking scheme with multiple co-conspirators.
On June 15, Barron, Matheny, and Purisima, followed a victim from Maryland Live! Casino, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to her Glen Burnie residence. After the victim parked near her home, two co-conspirators approached her, as they brandished handguns, and demanded money and her car keys. The two masked suspects then drove away in the victim’s car which was recovered less than one hour later in Baltimore.
Then on June 19, Barron, Matheny, and Purisima, along with Moore, who rode in a black pick-up truck, attempted to carjack a vehicle near an Interstate 95 ramp in Baltimore. Moore exited the truck and flagged down the victim. Then the co-conspirators blocked the victim’s vehicle with their car from entering the ramp to I-95. Barron and Purisima thereafter exited their vehicle and approached the victim. A co-conspirator then shot the victim who later died from the injuries. The co-conspirators fled the scene. Historical cell site data placed Matheny, Moore, and Purisima at or near the scene of the murder.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement extracted latent fingerprints from the Glen Burnie victim’s carjacked vehicle that matched Matheny and Purisima. Additionally, historical cell-site data placed Matheny and Purisima at Maryland Live! Casino and at the scene of the carjacking. When law enforcement arrested Matheny on June 22, they confiscated a cellphone in Matheny’s possession.
After searching the phone, law enforcement uncovered photos of Barron, Matheny, and Purisima posing with firearms while at Maryland Live! Casino. The casino’s video surveillance shows the co-conspirators entering a vehicle and then following the victim as she drove her car.
Purisima pled guilty on April 15, and his sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, at 2 p.m. He is facing a maximum of life in federal prison for carjacking resulting in death. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in the investigation, along with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. who is prosecuting this federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md .
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Maryland — U.S. Department of Justice press release.