Bio

Rasheed Muhammad was born on October 28, 1965. According to mitigation evidence presented by his defense attorneys, both of his parents abused drugs and alcohol, and Muhammad experienced abandonment and instability during his early years. Muhammad witnessed violent incidents as a child, including seeing his mother stab his father when he was very young. He reportedly began running away from home around the age of ten and later developed long-term substance abuse problems involving heroin, cocaine, and alcohol.

During sentencing proceedings, attorneys also claimed Muhammad suffered several untreated head injuries and emotional instability, including suicide attempts. The defense argued that these experiences contributed to his behavioral problems and criminal history.

Before the murder of Jakiyah McClain, Muhammad had previous convictions for larceny, breaking and entering, and breaking into a coin-operated machine. He was on probation at the time of the offense. At the time of the murder, Muhammad was homeless and staying in an abandoned apartment in Newark, New Jersey, with permission from the building superintendent.

Murder Story

On April 1, 1995, 8-year-old Jakiyah McClain went to visit her best friend at an apartment building on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. Jakiyah’s mother allowed her to go because the building was only a short distance away from home.

While Jakiyah was inside the building, her friend saw Rasheed Muhammad take her upstairs. Shortly afterward, the friend heard screaming, kicking, and banging noises coming from above. Jakiyah never returned home that evening.

When Jakiyah’s mother realized her daughter was missing, she contacted police and a search began. Detectives later spoke with the building superintendent, who informed them that Muhammad had been staying in a vacant apartment inside the building.

Police went to the abandoned apartment and knocked on the door. Muhammad allowed the officers inside. During their search, detectives discovered Jakiyah’s body hidden beneath a pile of clothes in a closet. The apartment contained mattresses, garbage, beer cans, and drug paraphernalia.

An autopsy determined that Jakiyah had been sexually assaulted and killed by asphyxiation. Muhammad was arrested the following day and later charged with murder, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual assault.

At trial, prosecutors argued that Muhammad kidnapped Jakiyah after luring her upstairs and then sexually assaulted and murdered her inside the vacant apartment. The jury convicted him of purposeful-or-knowing murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated sexual assault.

During the penalty phase, the jury considered aggravating factors including that the murder occurred during another felony and that the victim was under the age of fourteen. Although jurors were unable to agree on the death penalty, Muhammad received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for the murder conviction. He also received a consecutive fifty-year sentence for kidnapping with twenty-five years of parole ineligibility