Additional Coverage:
- Couple set up fake house viewing in twisted plot that led to real estate agent’s murder (themirror.com)
Minneapolis, MN – After years of legal proceedings, Akeem Wiggins has once again been found guilty in connection with the horrific 2019 kidnapping and murder of real estate agent Monique Baugh. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Wiggins’ conviction on a range of charges, including aiding and abetting first-degree murder.
Baugh, 28, was lured to a staged home viewing in Maple Grove on December 31, 2019, where she was abducted by two men and forced into a U-Haul truck. Her body was later discovered in an alleyway, hands bound with duct tape, having been shot.
Authorities revealed that Baugh’s boyfriend was also targeted in a subsequent attack by the same assailants, surviving his gunshot wounds. He identified Wiggins as a person he suspected might want to harm him.
Wiggins was initially convicted in 2021, but the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned that verdict in 2024 due to improper jury instructions, necessitating a retrial. Following this new trial, the jury has reaffirmed Wiggins’ culpability.
The charges on which Wiggins was found guilty include aiding and abetting premeditated first-degree murder, aiding and abetting attempted premeditated first-degree murder, aiding and abetting kidnapping resulting in great bodily harm, and aiding and abetting first-degree murder while committing the crime of kidnapping. He has received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Additional defendants in the case have also faced justice. Elsa Segura, who was romantically involved with Wiggins at the time of the abduction, pleaded guilty to kidnapping with intent to inflict severe bodily harm in 2024 and was sentenced to 240 months in prison. Cedric Berry and Berry Davis were found guilty in 2021 and also received life sentences without parole.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty expressed the profound relief felt by Baugh’s family, who have waited nearly six years for the conclusion of all cases. “Mr.
Wiggins played a primary role in Monique’s death, and he is being held accountable,” Moriarty stated. “My thoughts are with Monique’s family, and I want to express my gratitude to the jury for their service and to our trial team for securing this conviction.”