A Middle River man pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony crime of violence in the August 2022 shooting death of a Glen Burnie homeowner during a home invasion robbery, according to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Andre Raquan Riggs, 28, entered the plea in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in the killing of 27-year-old Matthew Ponder. The Honorable Judge Robert Thompson scheduled sentencing for Nov. 19. First-degree murder carries a statutory penalty of life imprisonment under Maryland law, and the firearm charge carries an additional mandatory minimum sentence to run consecutively.
“This was certainly a terrifying home invasion that ultimately resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Ponder,” State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said following the plea. “Digital evidence played a critical role in identifying this defendant, who came to the home armed with a gun for the purpose of stealing valuables in the middle of the night. I want to commend detectives and Assistant State’s Attorney Poma for their work in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Police and paramedics responded to a home in the 400 block of M Street Northeast in Glen Burnie around 2:24 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022, after a report of a shooting. Officers found Ponder inside suffering from gunshot wounds; paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore ruled his death a homicide by gunfire.
Investigators reviewing surveillance video from the home and nearby locations identified two suspects who approached the residence, fled after the shooting, and used a vehicle parked on a parallel street to leave the area. Footage showed the pair approaching the home’s rear door in hooded sweatshirts multiple times before covering the rear camera with a plastic bag. Inside, Ponder and a surviving female victim were robbed of several items, including what she described as “older and collectible” currency.
Digital evidence placed Riggs near the home at the time of the shooting and showed he had searched online for Ponder’s address before the killing and for the value of a 1950 ten-dollar bill afterward — matching items reported stolen. The Anne Arundel County Police Fugitive Apprehension Team arrested Riggs in Baltimore County on Nov. 16, 2023, more than a year after the killing.
The identity of the second suspect seen fleeing with Riggs on surveillance video has not been made public, and no second arrest has been announced in the case as of this writing.
The state was represented by Assistant State’s Attorney Kelly M. Poma. The investigation was led by Detective Juan Honesto and the Anne Arundel County Police Homicide Unit.
This article has been updated since the September 14, 2026 original publishing.
