Juan Matute, 18, was sentenced by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael A. DiPietro on Nov. 6 in connection with the fatal shooting of Fredi Orozo Lua, 33, in March of 2025.
Matute pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and firearm use in a felony or violent crime use in a felony or violent crime on Aug. 5, 2026. He received a life sentence for the murder charge, with all but 45 years suspended. For the firearm charge, he received a 20-year sentence with the first five years to be served without the possibility of parole. The firearm sentence will run concurrently with the murder sentence.
Following his release, Matute will serve five years of supervised probation. He was also referred to the Patuxent Youthful Offenders Program.
According to the charging documents, officers responded to a fatal shooting on the 3200 block of Pulaski Highway on March 22, 2025, around 4:40 pm. Lua was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered five shell casings and three live bullets from the scene.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Lua sitting outside of a building when two masked suspects approached him. One suspect allegedly shot Lua before both suspects fled on foot.
Detectives reviewed additional surveillance footage to track the suspects’ movements. Investigators allegedly saw one suspect remove a jacket and hand it to another individual before the shooting. A witness later identified Matute in photographs as the person seen handing off the jacket.
Investigators also noted that his clothing underneath the jacket appeared to be consistent with what the shooter wore during the shooting.
The remaining charges against Matute were dismissed through a “nolle prosequi,”or a motion not to prosecute, entered on Aug. 5, 2026.
