On June 22, Lyndon Wiggins was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release for his involvement in the death of 28-year-old Monique Baugh on Dec. 31, 2019, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.
Wiggins, 37, of Minneapolis, was convicted by a Hennepin County jury of aiding and abetting premeditated first-degree murder on June 2. The mandatory sentence for that under Minnesota law is life in prison without the possibility of release.
He was also found guilty of aiding and abetting attempted premeditated first-degree murder, aiding and abetting kidnapping, and aiding and abetting first-degree murder while committing kidnapping.
“To the family, friends and loved ones of the victims, I sincerely hope that Lyndon Wiggins’ sentencing provides some healing for you all, as you have endured unimaginable tragedy,” Freeman stated.
“As for staff in our office, thank you for your hard work and commitment in pursuing justice.”
According to the criminal complaints, around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, a man with a black mask used a key to enter a home in the 4800 block of Humboldt Avenue North and shot Baugh’s boyfriend four times while he was sitting on the steps to the second floor. His three-year-old child was nearby on a couch and his one-year-old was sleeping upstairs, where the boyfriend fled from the gunman.
Relatives arrived at the house to take care of the children while Baugh’s boyfriend was rushed to the hospital. One of the relatives was Baugh’s mother who noted that the key dropped by the shooter belonged to Baugh, and that Baugh would normally be home at that time of day, the complaint continues.
At 6:38 p.m., three shots were fired in an alley in the 1300 block of Russell Avenue North. When police arrived, they found Baugh, her hands bound by tape, dead from three bullet wounds, the complaint states.
Further investigation determined that Baugh had been called on her private cell phone that afternoon by Elsa Segura. Under the guise of an interested home buyer, Segura lured Baugh to the house in Maple Grove where Baugh would be abducted in a U-Haul shortly after 3:00 p.m., the complaint states.
When Berry was arrested about midnight Jan. 2, police searched his car. They found a black mask like the one worn in the first shooting and 13 baggies of suspected heroin. Berry is believed to be a drug dealing rival to Baugh’s boyfriend.
Wiggins is one of four defendants charged, convicted and sentenced for their planning and participating in the death of Ms. Baugh, and the shooting of her boyfriend.
Others convicted for their involvement are:
- Elsa Segura, 30, of Fridley. She was indicted by a Hennepin County Grand Jury on May 13, 2021, convicted on Sept. 20, 2021, and sentenced Nov. 9, 2021, to life in prison without the possibility of release.
- Cedric Berry, 43, of Minneapolis. He was indicted by a Hennepin County Grandy Jury, convicted on June 4, 2021, and sentenced July 12, 2021, to life in prison without the possibility of release.
- Berry Davis, 43, of Brooklyn Park. He was indicted by a Hennepin County Grandy Jury, convicted on June 4, 2021, and sentenced July 12, 2021, to life in prison without the possibility of release.
Prior to sentencing, numerous family members of Monique Baugh submitted written impact statements to Judge Peter Cahill. At the sentencing, Monique’s mother, Wanda Williams Baugh, spoke on behalf of the family, describing the pain and devastation that Monique’s murder brought to so many, including Monique’s two young daughters.
Another co-defendant, 40-year-old Shante Davis, of Minneapolis, has yet to go to trial. Her trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24. She was charged with aiding an offender as an accomplice after the fact for her involvement in the incident.
