Minneapolis, St. Paul police make arrests in first homicides of 2020, including realtor's killing

Minneapolis police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with the killing of Monique Baugh, a 28-year-old realtor who was shot dead in a north Minneapolis alley on New Year's Eve.

Court and jail records show that the suspect was booked into the Hennepin County jail at 1:12 a.m. Friday morning. The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they are charged.

The break in the case comes just hours after community activists held a news conference at Minneapolis City Hall to decry her killing and plead for the shooter to turn themselves in.

Also Friday, Minneapolis and St. Paul police arrested suspects in each of the cities' first homicides, of 2020, both hours into the new year.

A 38-year-old man wanted in the fatal stabbing of Jabir Ahmed Ali turned himself in to police Thursday night, said Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder.

The suspect was booked into the Hennepin County jail on probable cause murder, Elder said.

Ali, a 25-year-old from Faribault, Minn., was one of two stabbing victims police found in a car near W. Broadway and N. Fremont avenues about 5 a.m. Wednesday. He died at the scene, Minneapolis police said.

Ali died of a stab wound to the groin, the Hennepin County medical examiner said.

A second stabbing victim found at the scene had noncritical injuries, police said.

The suspect has previous convictions for domestic abuse, disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance and driving with a suspended driver's license.

On Friday morning, St. Paul police announced an arrest in the Jan. 1 shooting death of Carl Dobbs, Jr., who was found mortally wounded at 2 a.m. in a car outside Johnny Baby's bar in the 900 block of W. University Avenue. Officers found a handful of bullet casings scattered on the ground nearby. A suspect dressed all in black had reportedly fled in an unknown direction, dispatchers relayed to police. Police say they took the 30-year-old suspect into custody near the intersection of Como Ave. and Jessamine Ave. W. He was booked into the Ramsey County jail awaiting charges. His criminal record includes convictions for assault and perpetrating a drive-by shooting.

"We had a homicide two hours into the new year, and just two days later the suspect is in custody," police chief Todd Axtell said in a statement. "This quick arrest is the result of great police work by our Homicide, Forensics, Gang & Gun and Special Investigations Units as well as our patrol officers."

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768