Charges: Woman held captive, tortured and sex trafficked in St. Paul home

A St. Paul man held a woman captive in his home, then tortured and sex trafficked her, according to charges filed in Ramsey County District Court.

Jabari Quentin Junior, 22, was charged last week with kidnapping and first- and second-degree assault in connection with terrorizing the 19-year-old woman in a West Side Flats apartment on Wabasha Street across the Mississippi River from downtown.

The woman told police that Junior and another man kidnapped her from Chicago and brought her to Minnesota in November 2024.

Junior was arrested Wednesday and remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail. He's due back in court on Feb. 24. Messages left for his attorney Monday have yet to be returned.

After Junior was charged, Police Chief Axel Henry said in a statement, "I want to commend the bravery of this young woman who was determined to escape her abuser. Her actions helped us apprehend a man who has displayed hallmark traits of a dangerous predator."

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called Wednesday to Regions Hospital, where the woman was being treated for severe burns to her face, arms and torso from boiling water. She also had stab wounds to one shin and an arm.

The woman told police that Junior was her boyfriend and he repeatedly assaulted her for three days in his apartment after they started arguing because she was talking to other men.

She said Junior sheared off her hair because "if she wanted to talk to other men, he was going to make her look like one," the complaint read.

On the second day of her captivity, he tore up her bus ticket to Chicago and said, "You ain't going nowhere," the complaint quoted.

She said that on her third day under Junior's control he walked her to a nearby bus stop, where he called 911 and gave her the phone. He told her to lie about her injuries or he'd hurt her even worse than he already had.

Junior ran back to the apartment as emergency sirens wailed.

Officers contacted Junior and told him he was under arrest. He approached police outside and was apprehended.

A police search of Junior's apartment revealed that the garbage was empty, the laundry was done, and there were towels in the dryer. Office found an electric razor with fresh hair clippings in it and sweatpants with possible bloodstains.

Junior described the woman to police as a "friend with benefits." He said she arrived at his apartment after running from another man, and that she was already injured.

He said the injuries to the woman were not intentional and at one point threw water from a pot not meaning for it to land on her. He went on to deny her other allegations.

The woman said that after she was brought to Minnesota against her will, Junior shattered her phone and she could only contact family using one of his phones.

She said Junior invited men to his apartment, where they paid him to sexually assault her. She said this occurred daily and under the threat of death.

Junior denied to police that he sold the woman for sex. He said she arranged the sexual encounters and was paid directly.

Where to get help

There are numerous resources available for victims of domestic abuse. St. Paul and Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project staff are available 24 hours a day at 651-645-2824, and the Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line by calling 1-866-223-1111 or texting 612-399-9995.