Brutal sexual assault suspect nabbed

A suspect believed to be the masked man who broke into a Fremont home Sunday, bound a mother and daughter and robbed them at gunpoint while sexually assaulting the mother was arrested shortly after the crime, Fremont police said.

Jamala Morris, 34, was arrested at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Police said that evidence linking him to the crimes was found inside his Fremont home and that he admitted his involvement to investigators.

He is believed to have been the masked man armed with a short-barreled shotgun who hid inside a woman’s bedroom in the 41200 block of Paseo Padre Parkway early Sunday morning.

When that woman came home with her mother, she went into her bedroom and Morris allegedly assaulted her and used duct tape to bind her hands behind her back and cover her mouth, police said.

Her mother heard her struggling and came into the room, and Morris allegedly threatened the mother with the shotgun and bound her as well, police said. The suspect took the mother to a different room, sexually assaulted her and demanded money, police said. Morris allegedly took off running when a man who also lives there came home.

Investigators concluded Morris was a suspect in the case based on physical evidence, witness statements, video surveillance and phone evidence, police said. Police located him and arrested him later that morning.

After Morris was arrested, police said they found the mother’s wallet in his house as well as a short-barreled shotgun, duct tape, and the clothing worn during the assault.

Police said he did not know the victims but had seen them before in passing.

Morris was booked into Fremont Jail on suspicion of kidnapping to commit rape and robbery, assault with intent to commit rape, armed robbery, burglary with intent to commit rape and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in the Fremont Hall of Justice on Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. Police are trying to determine if Morris might be involved in any other similar crimes.

Anyone with information has been asked to call Fremont police at (510) 790-6900.