Baltimore Men Receive Lengthy Federal Sentences for Deadly Carjacking Scheme

Two Baltimore men have been sentenced to significant federal prison terms for their involvement in a series of carjackings, including one that led to a murder. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Jerritt Barron, 24, received a sentence of 40 years, and Jeremy Matheny, 27, was sentenced to 24 years. Both will also serve five years of supervised release following their incarceration. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar.

The charges stem from a conspiracy that began in June 2022, when Barron and Matheny, along with accomplices Nefertiti Moore, 23, and Antonio Purisima, 25, allegedly planned and executed multiple armed carjackings. The investigation revealed a pattern of targeting victims after they left Maryland Live! Casino in Anne Arundel County. In one incident on June 15, Barron, Matheny, and Purisima followed a victim from the casino to her residence in Glen Burnie. Authorities stated that two individuals, brandishing handguns, approached the victim as she parked her car, demanded her keys and money, and then fled in her vehicle. The stolen car was recovered less than an hour later in Baltimore.

The criminal enterprise escalated on June 19, when Barron, Matheny, and Purisima, this time accompanied by Moore, attempted another carjacking near an Interstate 95 ramp in Baltimore. Reports indicate that Moore signaled to a potential victim, and their vehicle then blocked the victim’s car from accessing the ramp. Barron and Purisima exited their vehicle and approached the victim, at which point a co-conspirator fatally shot the victim. The assailants then fled the scene. Evidence, including historical cell site data, placed Matheny, Moore, and Purisima in the vicinity of the fatal incident.

Further evidence gathered during the investigation included latent fingerprints recovered from the carjacked vehicle in Glen Burnie, which matched Matheny and Purisima. Historical cell-site data also placed Matheny and Purisima at Maryland Live! Casino and at the location of the Glen Burnie carjacking. Upon Matheny’s arrest on June 22, law enforcement discovered a cellphone in his possession. A subsequent search of this phone revealed photographs of Barron, Matheny, and Purisima posing with firearms at the casino. Surveillance footage from Maryland Live! Casino corroborated these findings, showing the individuals entering a vehicle and then trailing the victim whose car was subsequently stolen. Antonio Purisima has pleaded guilty to charges related to carjacking resulting in death and is awaiting sentencing on July 28, facing a potential maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Baltimore Police Department, with additional assistance from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the involved agencies for their work on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. is prosecuting this federal matter.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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