Drama and Surprise at Trial of Negasi Zuberi in Medford

MEDFORD, Ore. — The three-week trial of Negasi Zuberi (30), accused of kidnapping and r*ping two women, began in the U.S.

District Court in Medford on Tuesday. Zuberi has pleaded not guilty to two counts of kidnapping, one count of transportation for criminal sexual activity, four counts of felony-related weapons and ammunition charges, and attempted escape charges.

Scene Set for Dramatic Trial

The scene was set for the dramatic trial when, on Wednesday, government prosecutors carried a metal-barred door into the James A. Redden Courthouse – the door behind which a 22-year-old woman was held captive in a cinder-block cell of the garage of a Klamath Falls home in July 2023.

Klamath Mayor Rented Her Property to Zuberi

And then yesterday (Thursday), the Mayor of Klamath Falls Carol Westfall told the court that she had rented her two-story property on North Eldorado Avenue to Zuberi for $2,000 a month on February 1, 2023.

Sex Worker Gives Detailed Evidence

Giving evidence, the Washington state sex worker said Zuberi picked her up on a Seattle street corner. He claimed he was an undercover police officer and handcuffed her wrists and shackled her legs in irons.

The woman said Zuberi r*ped her en route to Klamath Falls and threatened her with a handgun and a taser.

In her testimony, the woman said she had tried to phone but could not get a signal. Zuberi showed her a device that he said blocked cell services. When she asked him if he was going to kill her, the woman said Zuberi replied that she was ‘too valuable…and why would I hurt a princess like you?’ Zuberi told her he was taking her to a ‘transition center.’

On arrival at Klamath Falls, the woman was locked into a small room that she said was stifling in the summer heat. He gave her a bucket to use as a toilet and a handwritten questionnaire that she completed with real and fake information.

She escaped by biting off her false acrylic nails and using them and her bare hands to break through a metal screen on the cell door. After breaking out, the woman said she grabbed Zuberi’s handgun and ran outside where she flagged down a passing motorist and then phoned the police.

When asked to identify her assailant, the woman pointed directly at Zuberi.

Police detective Found Stains Appearing to be Blood

Yesterday, Detective Joel Loudermilk told the court how he had seen ‘what appeared to be blood smear’ inside the cinder block cell where the woman was kept captive. Loudermilk said there were also possible blood stains on the screen door and doorknob.

He said his inspection revealed a free-standing room protected by a metal door, with another house door inside that – both doors had deadbolt locks. Loudermilk said police also found a gun case and label with a serial number exactly matching the gun taken by the woman from the house.

The court heard that Loudermilk found documents in the home involving land near Bonanza, Oregon, registered to a limited liability corporation of Negasi Zuberi, and information that Zuberi owned an RV trailer in a Klamath Falls storage facility.

He was with Federal Bureau of Investigation officers when they found a ‘walkie-talkie’ device that jams cell phone calls and a black-and-yellow taser, both described by the woman in her evidence, inside the RV.

When the trial began on Tuesday, the Zuberi defense team said the government was relied on accusations but lacked the evidence to support the claims.

The trial is expected to last three weeks and include dozens of witnesses and hundreds of exhibits.