Oregon man found guilty of kidnapping, locking woman in cell in garage
A federal jury Friday found an Oregon man guilty after he was accused of keeping a woman in a cell he built in his garage and kidnapping and sexually assaulting another woman weeks before.
Negasi Zuberi, 30, was found guilty Friday of kidnapping, transporting a victim for criminal sexual activity and illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon.
The charges stem from two kidnappings and sexual assaults committed in May 2023 and August 2023, as well as an attempted escape from jail after his arrest in August 2023.
According to the attorney’s office, the kidnapping charge is punishable by up to life in federal prison and transporting a victim across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity could lead to up to 10 years.
The office said illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and attempted escape charges can carry sentences of up to 15 years.
A lawyer representing Zuberi did not have comments when Paste BN reached out Monday morning.
Read more: Woman escapes kidnapper's cell in Oregon; FBI searching for more victims in other states
Man convicted used cinder blocks to build cell in garage
It was around 12:15 p.m. on July 15, 2023 when detectives were called to the Sky Lakes Medical Center to speak to a sexual assault victim. The woman said she was working as a sex worker in Seattle when she met a client, Zuberi, around midnight the night before, reported the Klamath Falls Police Department in a news release.
Zuberi told the victim he was a police officer and she was under arrest. He then put handcuffs and leg irons on her. The victim said Zuberi had a firearm, police patches, a taser and other law enforcement gear, the news release said.
Zuberi then drove the victim 450 miles to his home in Klamath Falls, about 80 miles southeast of Medford. He said he needed to take her in for processing but along the way, he stopped between Klamath Falls and Seattle and sexually assaulted her, police said.
Once they arrived at his home in Klamath Falls, the victim said Zuberi put her in a “small room in his garage.”
“The room had been made to be soundproof,” authorities said. “The room had a security screen door and an exterior door making it very difficult to get out of.”
He then left her in the room and she knew that if she stayed, he’d kill her, she told police.
The victim then began punching the security screen door, broke the welds on it and pulled the metal screen material down, police said. She was able to climb through a small opening in the door and escape. She was able to get Zuberi’s gun, ran down the street screaming for help and caught the attention of someone passing by, who called 911.
The next day, on July 16, detectives used cell phone technology to track Zuberi near Reno, Nevada. The Reno Police Department found Zuberi’s vehicle at a Walmart in Reno and after a standoff, they took him into custody.
Previous charges: Complaints, tears, a warrant — And a woman trapped in a cinderblock cage. What to know.
Man tried to escape jail cell, adding onto charges
The Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation and learned that six weeks prior to the Seattle kidnapping, Zuberi had kidnapped and sexually assaulted someone else, the attorney’s office said.
That incident happened on May 6 last year. His victim recalled seeing stacked cinder blocks in his garage. Investigators said he eventually used those cinder blocks to build the cell he kept his second victim in.
Zuberi was charged with kidnapping and transporting a victim with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity on Aug. 2, 2023, then in February 2024, he was charged with a second kidnapping charge and charges for illegally possessing firearms, ammunition and attempted escape.
The FBI announced in August 2023 that there may have been more victims. They said he has also gone by multiple aliases, including Justin Kouassi, Justin Joshua Hyche and Sakima Zuberi. They asked for leads at www.fbi.gov/sakimavictims.
After his arrest, Zuberi was caught in August 2023 trying to break out of his cell at the Jackson County Jail in Oregon, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.
He tried to break out at around 12:45 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2023, the sheriff’s office said. A Jackson County Maintenance worker outside the building told deputies they heard a “suspicious noise” coming from a cell. Deputies checked it out and found Zuberi standing on his bunk bed near a chipped window in his cell.
They put him through the full-body scanner and moved him to a cell with no exterior windows. While searching his cell, they found “an improvised tool that was suspected to have been used to damage the window.”
Man has gone by multiple aliases
Zuberi was linked to sexual assaults in at least four more states and since 2016, he has lived in multiple states, possibly California, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Nevada, the FBI said.
He was also the subject of a restraining order for domestic violence in July 2020. The woman who filed for the order said he threatened to kill her and her two children. She also accused him of hitting her, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
“He comes at night without my permission, broke my windows, trying to beat on me, threatening to kill me and my kids,” NBC News reported. “He treat (sic) to take them away so I can be miserable without them.”
He was also accused of punching someone in Denver, Colorado in 2022.
One of his previous landlords in Washington said he didn’t pay rent for six months, illegally sublet the home, bred puppies, damaged the property and threatened neighbors.
“He is a horrible person,” Abishek Kandar told the Associated Press. “He deserves to be in jail.”
Inmate's attempted escape: Failed jailbreak for man accused of kidnapping, imprisoning woman, officials say
Mayor renting home to convicted man scolded him once she found out about crimes
The home where Zuberi built the soundproof cell was owned by Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall and her husband, Kevin Westfall, according to court records. They evicted him once they found out about his arrest.
Inside the home, investigators found handwritten notes, a sketch of an underground structure and a to-do list.
The notes included details such as "Leave phone at home" and "Make sure they don’t have a bunch of ppl in their life. You don't want any type of investigation."
The couple who owned the home said in August 2023 that they were "shocked and dismayed” by his actions.
"We applaud the actions of the woman who helped capture this person and prevent him from committing further atrocities," they wrote in a statement to Paste BN at the time.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.