Tenn. Man Charged with Raping Unconscious Woman In Front of Church — Just Before She Died By Ben Brachfeld

A Tennessee man is accused of raping a woman as she drifted in and out of consciousness by the front steps of a Nashville church — shortly before she died.

Mohamed Mohamed, 39, is charged with four counts of rape in relation to an alleged assault on an unconscious woman in front of the house of worship on Nolensville Pike in Nashville’s Woodbine neighborhood Thursday evening, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Authorities say a Fire Department crew was traveling down Nolensville Pike just after 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, when they spotted an alleged sexual assault taking place. The fire crew alleged that Mohamed was attempting to pull the woman’s pants up as they pulled over.

The woman, who remains a Jane Doe, was seen on surveillance video apparently under the influence, walking unsteadily and setting herself down on the steps. Police say Mohamed then approached her, sat down beside her and began touching her as she drifted in and out of consciousness, attempting to swat him away to no avail.

Mohamed then allegedly lifted her off the steps, set her on the ground and “repeatedly sexually assaulted her,” police wrote in the press release.

The woman was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died soon after arriving. She did not carry any identification on her; an autopsy is pending and authorities are attempting to identify her using her fingerprints.

Mohamed was detained by the fire crew as they waited for police, who took him to police headquarters. Police say he refused to be interviewed, and a judicial commissioner set his bond at $300,000.

It was not immediately clear if Mohamed had entered a plea or retained an attorney. He is currently in custody at the Davidson County Male Correctional Development Center, according to county jail records.