He Told His Ex He Was Taking Her Somewhere Where 'No One Would Find Her' — Then Carried Out Horrific Attack By Christina Coulter

A Virginia woman narrowly escaped with her life after her former boyfriend kidnapped her, drove her across state lines and strangled her during an hours-long attack that ended only when a stranger intervened.

Adam Ahmed, 38, of Chantilly, Va., was sentenced to six years in prison for kidnapping in connection with the attack, which began in Manassas, Va., and ended in Northeast Washington, D.C., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a press release issued earlier this month.

In addition to the six-year sentence, Ahmed was also sentenced to 42 months for strangulation, 28 months on each of two felony threat counts, and 180 days for assault, with all sentences to run concurrently, the release said. He was convicted by a jury on June 12, 2025, following a trial in D.C. Superior Court.

The violence unfolded a day after Ahmed was arrested in Virginia on multiple warrants related to protective order violations and assault charges involving the same victim, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

On May 10, 2024, the victim got into Ahmed’s car outside her home in Manassas, believing they would sit in the parking lot and talk about their relationship, according to the release. Instead, Ahmed drove away erratically and told her they were both “going to die tonight,” adding that if she was going to charge him with abduction, “he was going to do it.”

Ahmed then drove onto Interstate 66 and took the victim into Washington, D.C., where he repeatedly assaulted her and threatened to kill her over several hours, the release said. At one point, he told her he was taking her somewhere “no one would find her.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

When the car stopped, Ahmed climbed over the victim and strangled her with both hands until she could not breathe, the release said. While strangling her, he bit her, placing his mouth over hers.

The release said Ahmed later stopped at a Shell gas station on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in Northeast Washington, D,C,. When he walked away from the car, the victim attempted to escape, but Ahmed picked her up and forced her back into the vehicle.

A passerby witnessed Ahmed hitting the victim and intervened, pulling into the gas station parking lot, rescuing her and calling 911, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

During the trial, expert witnesses testified about the dangers of strangulation and intimate partner violence, the release said. Prosecutors cited research showing that victims who survive strangulation face a significantly increased risk of later homicide.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section, with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.