O
pening statements in the retrial of Lyndon Wiggins, charged with orchestrating the murder of Monique Baugh and the attempted killing of her partner Jon Mitchell‑Momoh, zeroed on the link between Wiggins and Momoh. Wanda Williams Baugh, Monique’s mother, testified that her daughter “cherished her babies,” and she now holds custody of the two granddaughters.

    On New Year’s Eve 2019, amid a chaotic crime scene, Baugh’s grandmother discovered a purple key with a green butterfly on the floor. The key, a gift she had made for Monique when they moved in together, had been overlooked by police among toys and a toddler’s jumper. Monique had vanished for several hours that night. “I immediately knew something was wrong,” Baugh recalled.

    Wiggins is alleged to have masterminded a plot that led to Baugh’s kidnapping and murder and to the shooting of Momoh. Three individuals are already serving sentences: Cedric Berry and Berry Davis, who received life terms for executing the attacks, and Elsa Segura, Wiggins’ former girlfriend and a Hennepin County probation officer who pleaded guilty to kidnapping.

    During the hearing, Baugh remained composed while answering questions from Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Paige Starkey. She began to sob quietly when a photo of the key was shown. That evening, after finishing her shift as a medical laboratory technician, Baugh received a neighbor’s message that a man had been shot at her home. Although no man lived there, she suspected Momoh. Police told her that Baugh was not present but that her grandchildren were. She instructed the officers not to remove the children and hurried home.

    Baugh said she did not care for Momoh’s lifestyle as a rapper. She described him as frequently intoxicated, unfaithful to her daughter, and more concerned with flaunting money on social media than providing for his children. She cited two videos taken inside her home showing him bathing in cash in the shower and laundering money in the dryer. “I was disgusted, furious,” she said. She had warned her daughter that “his image will get us killed for a like, for a love, for a share.”

    Baugh was a hardworking young mother who had moved from serving to real estate. She kept much of her private life hidden, even from her own mother, who was often pulled back into the relationship during holidays in 2019. Baugh’s support network included her father Frank, his girlfriend Beth, Momoh’s mother, and close friends. A courtroom photo showed Baugh with her children, their smiles mirroring her own.

    On the night of the shooting, Frank called, having seen news that a woman had been found shot to death in north Minneapolis, linking the incident to Baugh’s home. He was frantic. A police officer entered the living room, confirmed the story, and apologized. Baugh asked what to do next, then went to the hospital and later to the funeral home, where she finally saw her daughter again.

    Momoh testified on Tuesday in a combative manner, wearing a hooded tracksuit and speaking in a low voice. He resisted the judge’s instructions and criticized Wiggins. He claimed Wiggins had promised him a $1 million record deal and that they had spent long periods together in California building careers. Momoh had appeared on tracks with late rappers Nipsey Hussle and XXXTentacion. He alleged that Wiggins believed Momoh had tipped off the police. In court, he used slurs against Wiggins, named women Wiggins was involved with, and spoke of Segura, the probation officer who had set the kidnapping plan in motion. He described a confrontation at a hookah lounge where the two men stared each other down.

    Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Chris Filipski argued that evidence would show Wiggins purchased the burner phone for Segura and was the only person with motive to harm Momoh by kidnapping Baugh. “There will be no evidence that Elsa wanted Jon or Monique dead. No evidence Cedric Berry or Berry Davis wanted them dead. The common denominator is Lyndon Wiggins,” Filipski said.

    Defense attorney Sarah Gad countered, noting that many had reasons to target Momoh for flaunting money on social media. She claimed that investigators would not conclusively prove Wiggins orchestrated the crime and that no clear motive—anger, jealousy, threat, or financial need—had been established.

    The trial also highlights the ongoing trauma of Baugh’s death. Momoh has faced intermittent legal troubles since 2020, mainly involving drugs and firearms. Baugh now has custody of her grandchildren, who spend weekends with Frank.

    On the night of the shooting, Monique had asked Momoh to watch the children while she visited a house in Maple Grove that turned out to be part of the kidnapping plot. Momoh had just put his daughter to bed when the attackers broke in and shot him in the shoulder. His 911 call, played in court, showed him telling the dispatcher he was dying, while a little girl cried for her mother in the background.