An Atlanta police officer is arrested for the
murder of a woman he met on Backpage
murder of a woman he met on Backpage
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that an Atlanta police officer was arrested on August 28, 2014, at Hartsfield-Jackson airport after police linked him to the murder of a woman he met on the website Backpage.com.
It is alleged that 23-year-old Tahreem Zeus Rana shot 26-year-old Vernicia Woodard several times and then set her body on fire.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the police used Woodard’s phone records and “posting on Backpage.com” in order to link her to Rana.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Rana was on a “no-fly” list, and that he was on his way to India, via Mexico, when the police arrested him at the airport.
The news about Rana comes as Backpage is in the midst of fighting back against the negative press it has been receiving for the last two years.
The website has become associated with pimps and johns, underage sex trafficking, and murder.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that an Arizona State University study, which was released in May 2012, showed that approximately 80% of Backpage’s ads were associated with prostitution.
And earlier during the year, the Detroit Free Press reported that a Detroit man was found guilty for the murder of four women in what became known as the “Backpage.com murders.”
Rana, however, did not fit the “stereotypical” image of those who frequent the website.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that some of the officers in the town of Hapeville, where Rana grew up, described him as a “normal kid who talked about becoming a police officer,” and that the Atlanta Police Department described Rana as “highly effective in performance of his duties” during his three years on the force.
Rana is being held in jail without bond and he is awaiting his preliminary hearing, which will be held on September 12, 2014.
It is alleged that 23-year-old Tahreem Zeus Rana shot 26-year-old Vernicia Woodard several times and then set her body on fire.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the police used Woodard’s phone records and “posting on Backpage.com” in order to link her to Rana.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Rana was on a “no-fly” list, and that he was on his way to India, via Mexico, when the police arrested him at the airport.
The news about Rana comes as Backpage is in the midst of fighting back against the negative press it has been receiving for the last two years.
The website has become associated with pimps and johns, underage sex trafficking, and murder.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that an Arizona State University study, which was released in May 2012, showed that approximately 80% of Backpage’s ads were associated with prostitution.
And earlier during the year, the Detroit Free Press reported that a Detroit man was found guilty for the murder of four women in what became known as the “Backpage.com murders.”
Rana, however, did not fit the “stereotypical” image of those who frequent the website.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that some of the officers in the town of Hapeville, where Rana grew up, described him as a “normal kid who talked about becoming a police officer,” and that the Atlanta Police Department described Rana as “highly effective in performance of his duties” during his three years on the force.
Rana is being held in jail without bond and he is awaiting his preliminary hearing, which will be held on September 12, 2014.
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