Juan Matute, 18, pleaded guilty Aug. 5 to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony or violent crime in the shooting of Fredi Lua, 42, on the 3200 block of Pulaski Highway.
Baltimore police said the killing was tied to Matute’s apparent initiation into MS-13, a notorious criminal gang with roots in Latin America, and investigators identified him as one of two masked gunmen who approached Lua before opening fire.
On March 22, 2025, Lua was found suffering from four gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital at around 5:30 p.m. Video evidence showed the victim sitting on the steps of the building when two masked men exited a Metro bus before the shooting.
One of the gunmen was later identified as Matute, who was 16 at the time of the shooting but tried as an adult given the serious nature of the crime. The prosecutor said that based on police intelligence, MS-13 membership may involve getting a high-ranking gang member’s okay before a killing in order to join.
Defense attorneys Robert Edward Linthicum and Sara Wendel, of the Office of the Public Defender’s Office, represented Matute and negotiated his plea.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael A. DiPietro sentenced Matute under a plea agreement to life in prison with all but 40- to-50 years suspended on the murder charge, and 20 years, the first five without parole, on the firearm charge to be served consecutively.
No additional hearings are scheduled in the case.
