Tragic Death of Mother Following Release of Abusive Ex-Boyfriend
A mother was stabbed and strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, who had been granted bail, according to a police funding group that shared the news on Wednesday.
Mohamed Adan, 36, had been jailed in August 2022 for repeatedly assaulting Rachel Abraham, his girlfriend and mother of his children. A now-defunct activist group, which advocated for police abolition, announced that he had been released.
“The Portland Freedom Fund believes it knows better than law enforcement,” said Senior Prosecutor Melissa Marrero during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday. “This decision cost her her life.”
Reports say that Abraham, also 36, had previously pleaded with a judge not to release Adan after he had strangled her and punched her on two occasions while under the influence of drugs in May 2022. “Statistics show that strangulation leads to murder,” she stated in a court reading about two months before her tragic death. “I don’t want to be a victim.”
Instead of being offered real protection, Abraham received a no-contact order, which, unfortunately, did little to keep her safe. She was arrested again on June 23 after he allegedly assaulted her again while shouting threats. Just five days after that incident, Judge Benjamin Bouchon allowed Adan’s release, mandating a GPS ankle monitor, which he promptly removed.
Adan was rearrested on August 11 for another alleged assault, this time involving a rosary. Yet, on August 20, activists from the Portland Freedom Fund paid a portion of his bail and managed to have his GPS tracking disabled.
Following his release, Adan returned to Abraham’s apartment, where he brutally assaulted her—slashing her face and arms—before taking her life in front of three of her children. Prosecutors provided details about this tragic incident.
On Tuesday, Adan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The Portland Freedom Fund, which aimed to raise awareness about racial disparities in the cash bail system, shut down in September 2022.
