Akron man found guilty on 5 of 9 charges in serial rape, kidnapping case
Mohamed Reeda, 24, stared down at the table as the color quickly drained from his face. Judge Kelly McLaughlin read three guilty and two not-guilty verdicts Monday afternoon before Reeda collapsed into the chair behind him.
Slumped unconscious in the chair, he began to shake. Attorney Linda Malek stooped down and held his head up.
"He's seizing," she said as his three other attorneys, Nicholas Brevetta, Diane Guzzo and Chris Vogt, swarmed their client.
Seconds later, Reeda came to. Malek, having asked for water, held it to his mouth to drink. After talking to their client, Brevetta asked the judge if he could remain seated.
Jury resumes Monday: Summit County jury to resume deliberating Monday for man charged with luring, raping women
"Of course," McLaughlin said before she read the final verdicts.
The jury found Reeda guilty of three counts of kidnapping, one count of attempted rape and one count of rape. He was found not guilty of three counts of rape and one kidnapping count.
Reeda will appeal the guilty charges, Malek said. His sentencing is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. on March 20.
The verdict came after two days of deliberations and a weekend break following a three-day trial in which witnesses and victims testified.
Women lured under false pretenses, police say
Reeda was accused of raping at least eight women who were assaulted in Akron from November 2022 through March 2023, when he was arrested. This trial involved four of those women.
Akron police said Reeda looked for women who were walking alone or with another woman and lured them into his vehicle under false pretenses before taking them to isolated places to rape them.
Arrest: Akron police arrest serial rape suspect who offered women rides
The incidents occurred in Akron’s Firestone Park and East Akron neighborhoods between Brown and Arlington streets south of Exchange Street, police said.
Police said Reeda had worked for rideshare companies but did not use legitimate apps in these instances. Lyft immediately removed him from the service when the company learned of the allegations.
Defense speaks out after verdicts
After the verdict, Malek said her client was in shock but was physically doing OK.
"He knows the truth, and so do we," she said as an EMS crew left after checking on Reeda.
Malek said she and her three colleagues were not able to bring the witnesses they wanted to the stand, stymying their defense.
"There was a high level of dishonesty in this trial," she said. "We were prevented from seeing evidence, and now an innocent man is being locked away."
Closing statements summarize arguments
During closing statements Thursday, prosecuting attorneys Kevin Mayer and Seema Misra argued that the victims' testimonies and evidence put forth proved Reeda was guilty of luring and raping multiple women.
Three of the attacks, Mayer told jurors, began with Reeda asking for directions to Firestone Park. In one case, Mayer said he asked if a woman needed a ride. Three times he offered money in exchange for photos or to pay for groceries or bills.
"A Lyft driver certainly knows how to get to Firestone Park," Mayer said Friday. "That's a sell. He wants to put them at ease."
Malek, arguing on Reeda's behalf, aimed to cast doubt on the victims' truthfulness. She said her client did not force anyone into his vehicle, but rather, the women entered voluntarily.
Some of the accusations, she argued, stemmed from transactions for sex that went that awry.
"I'm not saying a prostitute cannot be raped, but it didn't happen here," Malek told jurors Thursday. "Paying for sex is illegal; so is accepting money for sex. How do they collect debt they are owed?"
As for the evidence put forth by the state, Malek said the police could have done more, and the evidence on hand was insufficient.
Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mohamed Reeda found guilty on 5 of 9 charges in kidnapping, rape case
