A St. Paul gang member has admitted in court — for a second time — that he fatally shot a 20-year-old man on Raspberry Island nearly two years ago after a dispute over a rap song.
Romello Markell Ifonlaja-Randle, 25, of Maplewood, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court to intentional second-degree murder, not premeditated, and possession of a firearm with no serial number in the killing of 20-year-old Marcus Anthony Baker Jr., of St. Paul, at the Mississippi River park on Aug. 14, 2023.
Marcus Anthony Baker Jr. (Courtesy of Sade Whitmore)
Ifonlaja-Randle pleaded guilty to the killing in October, however, a judge allowed him to withdraw the plea in February after a mistake over his criminal history score meant he faced more years in prison than what was outlined in his agreement with the prosecution. The case moved toward a trial.
After this week’s plea, Ifonlaja-Randle’s new sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 5.
The state will continue to argue that Ifonlaja-Randle receive a prison term of just over 32 years, which would fall in the middle of state sentencing guidelines, said Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein.
Ifonlaja-Randle’s attorney will continue to seek the low end of the guidelines, which is just over 27 years, according to the latest plea document.
Two punches, three shots
Ifonlaja-Randle told the court that he was at Raspberry Island with friends and intended to set up equipment to shoot a music video.
Witnesses said four to five males approached Baker, who was in a Chevrolet Suburban SUV. One told Baker to shut off his music, which was by a local rap artist affiliated with East Side gangs, according to the criminal complaint.
Baker asked Ifonlaja-Randle if he was from the West Side and he replied, “the dub,” the complaint states. After Baker didn’t turn off the music, Ifonlaja-Randle hit Baker twice in the face and then shot him when he tried to get out of the vehicle. Ifonlaja-Randle ran across the bridge.
Romello Markell Ifonlaja-Randle (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Ifonlaja-Randle said in court in October that during a conversation with Baker, whom he didn’t know, he pulled out a 9mm and shot him three times.
“And what did you think would happen when you shot him?” Ifonlaja-Randle’s attorney asked him, according to the transcript.
“Nothing. I didn’t … I didn’t think,” he replied.
“But it was highly likely that with three bullets, he would die. Is that fair to say?” his attorney asked.
“I suppose, yes,” he replied.
Officers sent to the scene about 9:10 p.m. found Baker in the back seat of the SUV, and he was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. An autopsy showed Baker was shot in the right hip, right elbow and abdomen, which perforated his chest, diaphragm, kidney and back.
DNA evidence
Officers were sent back to Raspberry Island two days after the shooting to collect a handgun lying on rocks on the south side of the bridge that connects Raspberry Island to Harriet Island Boulevard. A test firing of the gun connected it to a casing found at the murder scene.
An analysis by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Ifonlaja‐Randle’s DNA on the gun’s laser/light attachment and Baker’s DNA on the gun’s muzzle area, the complaint says.
Investigators analyzed Ifonlaja‐Randle’s phone records and found he was in the Raspberry Island area at the time Baker was killed.
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Police said Ifonlaja‐Randle meets criteria to be considered a member of the Shoota Boy gang, which is associated with St. Paul’s West Side.
Baker’s mother, Sade Whitmore, told the Pioneer Press her son was a graduate of Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights and that he was not a member of a gang.
Six other charges prosecutors filed against Ifonlaja‐Randle in the case will be dismissed at his sentencing as part of the plea agreement: two counts of crime committed for the benefit of a gang; second-degree unintentional murder while committing felony assault; second-degree assault; possession of a firearm by a person who was ineligible due to a conviction of a crime of violence; and second-degree attempted murder for firing into the SUV, which included others besides Baker.
Ifonlaja‐Randle has three prior felony convictions as an adult — two first-degree aggravated robberies and fourth-degree assault — and each make him ineligible to possess firearms.
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