The federal government says an Oregon man was found guilty of kidnapping, sex crimes, and weapons charges after keeping a woman locked up in his garage as a makeshift jail.
A government news release says that Negasi Zuberi, 30, was found guilty on Friday of kidnapping, transporting a victim for criminal sexual behavior, and illegally having a gun and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The news release says that Zuberi pretended to be a police officer and held one person down in the trunk of his car in Seattle in July 2023 with a Taser and handcuffs. Then he drove her more than 400 miles to Klamath Falls, where he “stop[ped]iciped her” along the way, the news release says.
Based on a press statement from the Justice Department, Zuberi put the victim in a “cell” he built in his garage at home.
The news statement says, “The woman banged on the cell door over and over until it broke open, letting her escape.” “The victim took a gun from Zuberi’s car, ran out of his garage, and flagged down a passing driver, who then called 911.”
The next day, police in Reno, Nevada, caught Zuberi.
Authorities say that Zuberi had kidnapped and sexually assaulted another victim about six weeks before the July incident. This was found out during the probe.
The news release says that while Zuberi was holding his first victim, they saw stacked cinder blocks in his shed, which he later used to build the cell where he held his second victim.
The release says that the kidnapping charges carry a sentence of up to life in jail.
CNN station KDRV says the jury deliberated for a little more than four hours before making a decision.
Michael Berthoff, Zuberi’s defense lawyer, questioned what he saw as differences between the two victims’ stories as part of his closing points. He told KDRV, “This case is about nothing other than the credibility of” the victims.
Nathan Lichvarcik, an assistant US attorney for Oregon, showed pictures of one victim’s injuries at different times.
“The emergency room doctor saw it and knew right away that someone had hit her.” To quote KDVR, he said, “Those are the signs of power, control, and forced dominance.” “Those are the signs of a rape.”
Article Source: Oregon man found guilty after police say he held a woman hostage in a cinder block dungeon
