By KATIE McLAUGHLIN
PORTLAND, Ore. (Court TV) — The Oregon man who allegedly held a woman captive in a cinderblock cage has a history of violence that spans multiple states, and the FBI says it is likely that more of his alleged victims have yet to come forward.
This undated photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland Field Office shows Negasi Zuberi. (FBI via AP)
Negasi Zuberi, who also goes by the aliases “Sakima,” “Justin Hyche,” and “Justin Kouassi,” was arrested in Reno after the woman believed to be his most recent victim managed to escape from a concrete cell.
Police think there may be victims throughout the states that Zuberi, 29, has lived in since 2016, which include California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Nevada.
In another twist to the story, People Magazine is reporting that Zuberi appeared on “Judge Judy” back in 2019 over a domestic dispute. Zuberi sued the mother of his two children — and won. Judge Judy handed Zuberi a victory, and ordered Alycia Westfall to pay him $2,500 in damages.
Westfall later obtained a restraining order against Zuberi after he abused and threatened her and the the kids.
According to court documents obtained by Court TV, the woman who escaped from the concrete cell was a Seattle-based prostitute whom Zuberi had solicited while posing as an undercover cop. The woman told cops Zuberi pointed a taser at her, forced her into his car, placed her in handcuffs and leg irons, and sexually assaulted her before driving them from Seattle to his Klamath Falls, Oregon home. Zuberi had constructed the concrete cell in the home’s garage.
This undated photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland Field Office shows the interior of a makeshift cinderblock cell in Klamath Falls, Ore., allegedly used by Negasi Zuberi. (FBI via AP)
The woman managed the harrowing escape by punching the makeshift cinderblock cell’s metal door until the welded joints came apart. She walked out a side garage door, scaled a six-foot fence and got the attention of a motorist who called 911.
The FBI believes that the shocking circumstances of the case, coupled with Zuberi’s disturbing rap sheet, indicate the defendant knew what he was doing when he captured his alleged victim. Authorities are urging anyone with information to make themselves known.
Zuberi, who is charged with interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, faces up to life in federal prison. He’s currently being held in Nevada while he awaits transfer to Oregon.
