Oromo woman found stabbed to death in Crystal home

The Associated Press

8 July 2007

Rahina Mohamed, 45, was found dead by her husband, Abdisalam Abdullahi, when he returned home from his second-shift job at an Edina hospital shortly before 1 a.m., said Crystal Police Capt. Dave Oyaas.

The young man was picked up about 5:20 p.m. Oyaas didn't identify the man as a suspect but said he could become a suspect.

Police said there was no evidence of forced entry to the home and no murder weapon was found.

Mohamed came to America from Africa in 1982 at age 18 with her 20-year-old husband, whom she had married in a refugee camp. They were among the first Oromo people to settle in Minnesota, where the largest contingent of Oromo people in the nation now live.

Hundreds of Oromo immigrants went to the home of the victim's sister in Brooklyn Park to mourn. They said Mohamed had helped many immigrants from Oromia, a region of Ethiopia, adjust to life in America.

Abdullahi said he spoke to his wife from work about 7 p.m. Friday and again about an hour later, when she wished him good night. He said police were verifying the times on his cell phone, which they had taken. Mohamed's mother spoke to her about 11 p.m., relatives said, and all was well.

Abdullahi said when he arrived home from work, he saw lights on in the kitchen and garage that she usually turned off late, and knew something was wrong. Inside, he saw that a door from the house into the garage was open. He said he found his wife dead in the living room.

"I lost my heart," Abdullahi said, sobbing as relatives tried to comfort him Saturday afternoon. "She's my heart."

Mohamed had no known enemies and was honest, peaceful and religious, praying five times a day in devotion to her Islamic faith, her husband and many others said. They said she never hesitated to help other immigrants by providing money, clothes and advice. And she worked to preserve the cultural traditions of Oromia, where she continued to send money to help people.

"It is a very, very huge shock in our community -- this is horrible for us," said Mahdi Ahmed, a leader of Oromo immigrants in Minnesota.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com