Negasi Zuberi, a 30-year-old man from Klamath Falls, Oregon, has been found guilty by a federal jury of kidnapping, sexual assault, and weapons charges. Zuberi, who also goes by the name Justin Joshua Hyche, was convicted of holding a woman captive in a cinder block cell he constructed in his garage. According to court documents, on July 15, 2023, Zuberi posed as a police officer in Seattle.
He used a taser and handcuffs to detain his victim in the backseat of his vehicle. Zuberi then transported the woman approximately 450 miles to his home in Klamath Falls, sexually assaulting her multiple times during the journey. Upon arrival at his residence, Zuberi moved the victim from his vehicle into a cell he had built in his garage using cinder blocks.
The woman managed to escape by repeatedly banging on the cell door until it broke open. She then retrieved a handgun from Zuberi’s vehicle and flagged down a passing motorist who called 911.
Man found guilty of kidnapping
The following day, on July 16, 2023, officers from the Reno Police Department and the Nevada State Patrol located Zuberi in a parking lot in Reno, Nevada. After a brief standoff, Zuberi surrendered and was taken into custody. During the investigation, federal agents discovered that Zuberi had kidnapped and sexually assaulted another victim just two months prior, on May 6, 2023.
This first victim had observed the stacked cinder blocks in Zuberi’s garage that he later used to construct the cell for his second victim. A federal grand jury in Medford indicted Zuberi on August 2, 2023, charging him with kidnapping and transporting a victim with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Additional charges were added in a superseding indictment on February 15, 2024, including a second kidnapping charge, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and attempted escape.
The kidnapping charges carry a potential sentence of up to life in federal prison, while transporting a victim across state lines for criminal sexual activity is punishable by up to 10 years. The illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and attempted escape charges each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
