Therapist was raped and tortured for hours near Boca Raton
A therapist’s client took her captive in his home in a suburb of Boca Raton. He raped and tortured her for hours, and when she screamed, officers debated what kind of scream it was.
A West Palm Beach man charged in connection with a sexual assault and robbery at an Alabama mall Friday night was denied bail after an investigator described the brutality of the alleged crimes.
Isaac Mathis, 29, is charged with rape, robbery, attempted murder and arson in the case, court records show. An Elmore County District Court ruled in a hearing Monday, August 12, that Mathis should remain in custody without bail. He was arraigned in connection with the sexual assault on Friday, August 9.
According to testimony, Mathis was released from a Florida prison on August 1 after serving 252 days of a sentence in which he was charged with possession of a firearm.
The attack occurred at a store in a shopping mall in Prattville, northwest of Montgomery. Prattville police received the call at 6:07 p.m. Evidence presented at the hearing showed that the victim worked at one of the mall’s stores and that Mathis allegedly forced her into the store’s back room after closing time and then raped and beat her.
Investigator describes attack
The victim attended the hearing, sitting in the front row of the public gallery, about 10 feet from Mathis, who was seated at the defense table. Mathis was wearing orange prison garb and was handcuffed.
The victim’s face was bruised and her right hand was bandaged. According to witnesses, she was taken to a hospital in Birmingham for treatment after the attack. She was left with a broken right hand and “extensive” bruising on her face and body.
The victim was accompanied in the courtroom by a group of about a dozen supporters.
Prattville Police Department investigator Zane Holt was the only witness called by the state. He testified that the victim told officers that Mathis came into the store just before closing time, looked around and asked prices for several items. When the victim went to the back of the store for one of the price inquiries, he allegedly shoved an object into her back and forced her into a back room, Holt testified.
Mathis allegedly told the victim the object in her back was a gun. The victim told investigators Mathis allegedly told her “…not to scream or yell or he would shoot her,” Holt said.
She told investigators she was raped and that Mathis allegedly choked, punched, kicked, punched and hit her with a microwave multiple times, and she lost consciousness several times during the attack. Mathis also allegedly poured a caustic chemical over the victim’s face and scalp and squirted it into her mouth, Holt said in court.
When she regained consciousness, she went to a nearby store for help, and that’s where police were called. She was able to give officers a description of Mathis, including the clothes he was wearing, Holt said.
During the investigation, officers discovered that Mathis allegedly robbed the store after the attack, stealing the night’s money and attempting to set the store on fire, Holt said.
Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson told the judge that Mathis has an “extensive criminal record” in Florida, including seven convictions as an adult for armed burglary, armed auto theft, robbery and grand theft auto. He also has a history of probation violations, she said.
In November 2023, he was charged with assault and illegal possession of a firearm. The assault charge was dropped, and Mathis served 252 days for the firearm possession charge, Johnson said.
Investigators were unable to establish a connection between Mathis and Prattville, Holt testified.
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Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at [email protected].
