A jury found a man guilty in the murders of three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Earl Bennett was found guilty on three counts of second-degree intentional murder for the Oct. 27, 2024, shooting at a small encampment next to railroad tracks near Snelling Avenue and East 44th Street.

The victims were identified as 38-year-old Christopher Martell Washington of Fridley, 32-year-old Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr. of Brooklyn Center, and 35-year-old Samantha Jo Moss of St. Louis Park.

Charges say investigators obtained surveillance video from the area that allegedly captured the suspect, later identified as Bennett, arriving on an electric bike and entering a tent at the encampment. About 15 minutes later, video captured the sound of several gunshots before Bennett exited the tent and left on his bike.

The manager of a sober house in south Minneapolis, where Bennett is accused of severely injuring another man, identified Bennett as the suspect in the surveillance video from the encampment shooting.

Later that same night, officers in St. Paul responded to a shots fired call near Snelling and Charles avenues. Upon arrival, they found a man, later identified as Bennett, with a gun.

As officers approached, Bennett pointed the gun to his head, police said. Officers began talking with him, trying to get him to surrender, but he then started walking south down Snelling. Once he reached the Snelling and University area, he began walking around in the intersection, according to police.

Police said officers fired “less lethal” rounds at Bennett to try and get him to surrender, but he still would not.

Bennett then pointed his gun at police, according to the department and witnesses, and that’s when officers shot him.

The four officers who shot Bennett were all cleared of criminal charges, with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office concluding the use of deadly force was legally justified under state law.

Bennett also faces charges of second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection to the armed encounter with officers in Ramsey County.

In Hennepin County, Bennett was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.

Bennett’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.

In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Lyndon Wiggins, the man convicted of plotting to kidnap and kill a Minneapolis real estate agent and mother on New Year’s Eve 2019, was sentenced to life behind bars on Monday without the possibility of parole.

Lyndon Wiggins sentenced

What we know:

In court on Monday, Wiggins faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murder of Monique Baugh.

Before handing down that sentence, Judge Mark Kappelhoff told Wiggins he showed no regard for the lives of Baugh or her partner during the scheme that resulted in Baugh’s murder.

“Based on my view of the evidence, it’s clear to me that you are the criminal architect of a cold, calculated and cruel criminal scheme that led to the kidnaping and ultimately to the tragic, senseless and brutal murder of Ms. Baugh and the attempted murder of [her partner],” the judge said. “I guess I’ll never fully understand the full reasons behind that, but I don’t know that necessarily matters. Life is precious, but you showed no regard for the lives of Monique Baugh or [her boyfriend].”

Monique Baugh murder plot

Timeline:

Wiggins’ sentencing followed his second conviction in Baugh’s murder earlier this year.

Wiggins was originally convicted in 2021 for Baugh’s murder, but the conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2024 due to bad jury instructions during the trial.

In November, Wiggins was again convicted of aiding/abetting first-degree premeditated murder, aiding/abetting first-degree premeditated attempted murder, aiding/abetting kidnapping to commit great bodily harm, and aiding/abetting first-degree murder while committing the crime of kidnapping.

The backstory:

Wiggins was accused of being the mastermind of the plot to kill Baugh in 2019 with help from his romantic partner Elsa Segura, co-defendant Berry Davis and Cedric Berry.

The group lured Baugh to a home in Maple Grove for a fake home showing. There, Baugh was forced into a U-Haul truck and brought to an alleyway in Minneapolis where she was shot three times, execution style, at point-blank range.

Segura pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2024 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Berry and Davis were both convicted by a jury and both sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Wiggins allegedly targeted Baugh because she was dating a man who Wiggins viewed as a rival drug dealer. Court records also suggest Wiggins and Baugh’s boyfriend had a falling out over a rap record label they were both involved in.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A judge has denied a motion by the defense for Lyndon Wiggins, the man who was seeking a third trial in the murder of Minneapolis real estate agent Monique Baugh.

Lyndon Wiggins files for another trial

What we know:

In November, Wiggins’ attorney Sarah Gad filed a motion for another trial, arguing the previous trial proceedings amounted to “a cumulative due-process violation,” which can only be remedied with a new trial. Gad listed several issues during the trial, including emotional outbursts from Baugh’s mother in the jury’s presence.

However, Judge Mark Kappelhoff denied the motions. In his ruling, the judge found that there weren’t any repeated emotional outbursts by Baugh’s mother, only a single instance when Baugh’s mother gasped upon seeing an image of her daughter’s body in court. After that gasp, the court directed the state to take steps to prevent further disruptions and the judge could not recall any other issues while jurors were present.

Fake quotes in motion

What they’re saying:

The judge also points out ten purported quotes from cited legal opinions that, in reality, do not appear to exist in the actual texts.

“Whatever the underlying genesis of these quotations, the submission of a brief with such an extraordinary number of nonexistent quotations undermines the weight of Wiggins’ brief and actual legal support for Wiggins’ arguments seeking a new trial,” the judge writes.

What’s next:

Wiggins is set to be sentenced on Monday for the murder. Wiggins faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Monique Baugh murder

Big picture view:

Prosecutors accused Wiggins of being the mastermind behind the plot to kidnap and murder real estate agent Monique Baugh on New Year’s Eve 2019. Wiggins, working with his romantic partner Elsa Segura, co-defendant Berry Davis, and Cedric Berry.

Segura pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2024 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Berry and Davis were both convicted by a jury of aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder, aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated attempted murder, aiding and abetting kidnapping, and aiding and abetting first-degree murder while committing kidnapping. They were both sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

The backstory:

Police say the group lured Baugh to her death under the guise of a house showing in Maple Grove. She was then forced into the back of a U-Haul truck, shot and dumped in an alley in Minneapolis.

Police say Wiggins targeted Baugh because she was supposedly dating a rival drug dealer.