A man from Portland, Oregon, has been accused of killing a woman a week after a local organization helped bail him out of jail for violating a domestic violence-related restraining order.
The Portland Police Bureau said Saturday that it arrested and charged Mohamed Osman Adan, 33, for murder in the second degree (domestic violence) and unlawful use of a weapon for killing 36-year-old Racheal Angel Abraham that morning.
Police said that Ms. Abraham was strangled to death. Multiple outlets reported that she had also been stabbed.
According to court documents cited by Seattle radio station KNWN, the Portland Freedom Fund paid 10% of Mr. Adan’s bail when he was arrested for violating his restraining order. That amounted to $2,000 of Mr. Adan’s $20,000 bail, as reported by KGW, the local NBC station in Portland.
“Our thoughts are with the families and communities affected by this tragedy, particularly the children who have effectively lost both parents. It is a profound tragedy when any person is harmed,” the bail fund, dedicated to helping Black, brown and indigenous residents in the Portland area, wrote in a Tuesday statement on Facebook.
The statement said a “letter of community support” referred to Mr. Adan as a financial provider for two small children when the court deemed him eligible for bail release. The bail fund said it communicated with Mr. Adan between his release and re-arrest, and didn’t notice any signs for concern.
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Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released a statement to local media after Abraham was identified as the victim Tuesday.
“Mr. Adan’s intent to kill the victim was unambiguous. After the judge set Adan’s bail, the Portland Freedom Fund undermined our efforts and the efforts of the court to save the victim’s life by using their resources to bail him out,” the statement said. “When a judge imposes bail, the defendant’s ability to pay is among the factors they consider. The action taken by the Portland Freedom Fund circumvented this, with tragic results.”
KGW cited court documents when it reported how Ms. Abraham had repeatedly contacted the police about Mr. Adan’s violent behavior toward her.
The documents said, according to KGW, that she was punched in the head twice by Mr. Adan in May. A month later, Abraham’s young daughter mistakenly let Mr. Adan into her home, and he violated a restraining order when, documents said, he hit Ms. Abraham in the face, choked her and put his knee on her throat.
Ms. Abraham escaped and called police, who told police “she believed she was going to die,” per the documents. Mr. Adan was arrested without incident the following day.
Mr. Adan was granted release from jail in late July as long as he wore a GPS ankle monitor and avoided contact with Ms. Abraham and her four children. Documents said that he cut off the monitor soon after and snuck into the home on the night of Aug. 11 and assaulted Ms. Abraham again.
The victim was able to escape and call police, who arrested Mr. Adan once again. He was bailed out on Aug. 20, a week before Ms. Abraham’s death.
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