From Cold to Closed: Michael Mattson Explains How on NBC10
When a case goes cold – no new leads, no new evidence, no avenues to pursue next – it can feel like an eternity waiting for new information to reopen the case. Sometimes that new information never arrives, but sometimes one new piece of information is all it takes to move a case from cold to closed.
The Case
Rithina Torn, 29, was the victim of road rage turned deadly in October of 2018 at the intersection of Dewey Road and Front Street in Melrose Park.
Cheltenham Township police responded to the incident to find Torn suffering from multiple gunshot wounds following an altercation over a traffic dispute, which prompted Torn to step out of his vehicle. The other driver opened fire, leaving Torn fatally wounded, as he would pass away shortly after arriving at the hospital.
With the perpetrator unknown to Torn, and eyewitness accounts of the car fleeing the scene offering only that it was a dark-colored vehicle, the police had little information to go on.
Despite recovering ballistics from the scene and even offering a $10,000.00 reward, the case quickly went cold.
Cold – Until There was a Match
When the police recovered ballistics from the scene in Torn’s case, they were unable to link them to a specific weapon at the time.
The police entered them into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”) anyway.
In October of 2024, exactly six (6) years later, there was a match.
The unknown driver had struck again, leaving another victim severely injured, but alive. This time, the perpetrator wouldn’t remain unknown to the police for long.
Utilizing surveillance footage of the recent incident, which took place in a Target parking lot on Baltimore Pike, the police were able to identify Jihad Henderson as the shooter.
Henderson was apprehended a few days later in Virginia.
Upon processing the ballistics from the most recent incident and entering them into NIBIN, the system flagged a match: the bullets from both incidents came from the same gun – the one Henderson purchased in 2017.
Following confirmation from Henderson that only he had ever used the gun and that it was kept in possession every day, there was no doubt in the investigators’ minds that they had found their guy.
Tools of the Trade: Michael Mattson Breaks it Down
NIBIN is the sole reason police were able to move Torn’s case from cold to closed.
Michael Mattson, a Partner of Musi, Mattson, Daubenberger & Clark in Media, PA, offered his expertise as a former prosecutor on the database and the methodology behind it, although he is not affiliated with this case.
“Similar to the [AFIS], which is the National Fingerprint Database, or the DNA CODIS Database,” Michael Mattson informed NBC10. “These are invaluable tools for law enforcement.”
Elaborating further, Mattson explained, “[Ballistics] literally is similar to fingerprint evidence. Because these toolmarks are very unique.”
Every firearm leaves distinct impressions on the bullets and casings it discharges, produced by microscopic imperfections in the barrel and firing mechanism of the gun.
The Impact
NIBIN captures and stores those marks digitally. This allows investigators to compare evidence across cases that may have occurred decades ago, or even thousands of miles apart, in separate jurisdictions.
To quote our very own, “these [investigative tools] are invaluable.”
Without NIBIN, Torn’s case may never have been linked to the 2024 incident, still sitting cold, waiting for a miracle.
Instead, Henderson has been charged with first and third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime in connection with Torn’s death and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.
Michael Mattson’s appearance on NBC10 reflects the kind of informed, grounded perspective our attorneys bring to complex legal and forensic questions. Whether in the courtroom or in the public conversation around criminal justice, Musi, Mattson, Daubenberger & Clark is committed to helping people understand how the system works and why it matters.
To see Michael Mattson’s appearance on NBC10 in full: CLICK HERE.