Weymouth Woman: Uber Driver Charged with Rape a ‘Coward’

A Weymouth woman called an Uber driver who fled the country after allegedly raping her a “coward” in a case that has led to a dramatic change in the way courts will handle defendants who are ordered to turn over their passports.

Frederick Q. Amfo, 30, a Ghanian national who lived in Quincy, posted $10,000 bail, but police told the alleged victim they suspected he had boarded a plane to Ghana over the weekend.

“He is 100 percent … a coward. He proclaims his innocence to police and then just leaves?” Emily Murray told the Herald yesterday. “I feel hurt…. People get blamed for not coming forward and then get victimized more when they do.

“I don’t feel that I’ll ever have justice for what’s happened to me. But I hope this shines a light and it won’t happen in the future because of me coming forward and me releasing my name and putting a face behind this whole situation,” she added.

Emily Murray, rape victim

Amfo was arraigned Friday in Quincy District Court on one count of rape for an April 8 alleged early morning attack on Murray.

Police said he parked his car on a poorly lit street, locked the doors and then raped his Uber passenger, who was returning home after a night out in Quincy.

Amfo was released Friday after posting the $10,000 bail Assistant District Attorney Moira Daly requested on the condition that he stay away from the victim, surrender his passport and not be employed as a driver for Uber or any other ride-hailing or taxi service.

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The court issued a warrant for his arrest yesterday after learning from the prosecution that he had posted bail but failed to surrender his passport and left the country.

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When asked why the prosecution hadn’t requested a dangerousness hearing, GPS monitoring or higher bail for Amfo — any of which might have prevented him from fleeing — Margaret Krippendorf, a spokeswoman for Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey, said: “This is an ongoing and active case. I can’t answer this question.”

When asked whether Amfo, who told police he has an accounting degree from Suffolk University, was in the U.S. legally, Krippendorf said, “I don’t know if this information was shared in open court on the day of the defendant’s arraignment.”

{snip} According to Weymouth police, after Amfo raped Murray, he asked her if she was on birth control. Police said although it was dark, Murray was able to pick him out of a photo lineup. He denied having sex with her. But when pressed on the matter, “Amfo acknowledged his answers and began crying during the interview,” court records state. He also voluntarily allowed investigators to conduct a DNA swab test, police said.

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