MINNEAPOLIS — Two men were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of release on Monday for the 2019 New Year's Eve kidnapping and murder of 28-year-old real estate agent, Monique Baugh.
Berry Davis and Cedric Berry, both 42 years old, were sentenced on Monday after being found guilty in early June.
A jury convicted Davis and Berry of first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping in Baugh's death, in addition to attempted second-degree murder of Baugh's boyfriend, Jon Mitchell-Momoh.
At the sentencing hearing, Monique's mom, Wanda Williams Baugh gave a heart-wrenching victim impact statement, putting her raw anguish on display.
Monique had two young daughters of her own.
"My daughter came face to face with pure evil," Wanda cried.
Prosecutors argued at Davis and Berry's trial that the men were trying to get to Monique's boyfriend - who had a beef with a drug dealer -- on New Year's Eve 2019.
So Davis and Berry and some associates staged a phony house showing so they could kidnap Monique, who was a real estate agent. After using her to find the boyfriend, they brought Monique to a north Minneapolis alley in a U-Haul truck, executed her and dumped her body.
"Monique didn't have to die. You didn't have to throw her out like she was garbage either. She was so precious. My baby was so precious to me. To all of us," Wanda said. "And I'm asking you, your honor, to please use your power to make sure they spend the rest of their miserable insignificant lives in prison."
Before the sentence was handed down, both of the defendants maintained their innocence.
"I hate that you guys had to go through this, and I pray that the truth comes out," Berry said.
"Because justice wasn't served. They didn't prove nothing to do with me with this here," Davis said.
Judge Peter Cahill didn't waver when he handed down the mandatory life sentence.
"I do think they proved it. The jury thought they proved it. They did quite a good job of proving it, as a matter of fact," Cahill said. "There will be no possibility of release."
After the hearing, Wanda composed herself and shared her final thoughts.
"The one thing i wish i could have is my daughter back. Something i cant have and can't get back. But this is a touch of satisfaction, to know they can't do this to anyone else's family."
Baugh was lured to a phony home showing in Maple Grove, where she was kidnapped and found shot to death in a Minneapolis alley, according to prosecutors.
Investigators say that Mitchell-Momoh may have been the intended victim of the alleged plot. He was shot and wounded at the couple’s home while their two young children were nearby. The children were not hurt.