A Minnesota man allegedly held his 19-year-old girlfriend against her will, beating her and burning her with boiling water over a period of several days. Jabari Junior, 22, of St. Paul, has been charged with two counts of felony kidnapping, as well as first- and second-degree assault.
According to a criminal complaint, Junior grabbed his girlfriend against the bed, shaved her head with a hair clipper, and dumped boiling water on her after she alleged that she talked to other men. He choked her while holding a butcher’s knife and stabbed her leg after she fought back.
The girlfriend, who suffered severe burns on her face, arms, and torso, attempted to escape multiple times, but Junior was able to stop her. He reportedly took her to the Wabasha Bridge, where he encouraged her to jump before returning her to the apartment.
Junior, who has been ordered not to contact the victim, made his first court appearance on Friday. He is currently being held in Ramsey County Jail. The bus stop where police found the girlfriend, near Junior’s apartment along Wabasha Street, has been identified as the location where Junior allegedly tried to dispose of evidence.
Authorities say the investigation began when police responded to a 911 call from the Wabasha street bus stop in St. Paul, where a 19-year-old woman reported being held captive by her boyfriend. The police report states that the woman has a difficult time remembering everything that happened, but said Junior beat her and burned her with boiling water from Jan. 27 to Jan. 29.
The victim allegedly planned to leave Junior’s apartment on Jan. 27 but was stopped, and Junior burned her again that night. He allegedly took her to the hospital and told police that she had been attacked by another man with whom she had sex. When questioned by police, Junior initially denied any knowledge of the stabbing, but eventually admitted to the incident.
He also denied cutting the victim’s hair but was found with gray sweatpants that had dark red spots on the upper right thigh area, where the victim was stabbed. Fresh hair clippings and boiling water pots matching the victim’s description were found in Junior’s apartment.
