Chaos erupted inside a King County courtroom on Monday after a judge refused to release a suspect in a home invasion and rape case.
Muhammad Sesay, 20, was arrested four months ago after a string of burglaries. He and another man, Bubacarr Touray, were charged in connection to a home invasion and rape in Kirkland. Touray is accused of raping a Kirkland mother, identified only as Jennifer, while Sesay held her at gunpoint.
Relatives of Sesay were hoping he would be released on house arrest, but the judge denied the request, prompting emotional outbursts in the courtroom.
Jennifer spoke out against the release, expressing her fear that Sesay could come back for her and hurt someone else.
“This is not malicious teenagers, this is not a mental health crisis,” said Jennifer. “It was Sesay. He thrust his semi-automatic weapon to my temple.”
Sesay’s defense attorney argued that he was a young man without any prior convictions and suffered from underdiagnosed PTSD and abuse he suffered as a young boy. Sesay’s sister also begged the judge to let him out on house arrest.
“I feel like a lot of criminals have a history of abuse and it’s sad,” said Jennifer. “But it doesn’t mean we don’t need to protect our communities from these people.”
The case against both defendants, Sesay and Touray, is ongoing.
©2023 Cox Media Group
