Convicted abuser accused of drugging and forcing a female to have sexual intercourse with a dog is permitted to adjust his title

• A Cape Cod gentleman was convicted of assault in 2014 for torturing and abusing his girlfriend.

• The scenario garnered countrywide media focus and prompted his victim to develop into a survivor’s advocate.

• Decades immediately after his release, a spouse and children-court judge has allowed him to adjust his identify.

In an powerful a few-working day 2014 trial in a Cape Cod courtroom, Justin Mustafa was accused of orchestrating a twisted 7 days of drug-fueled torture in which he injected his girlfriend with heroin, consistently defeat her with a belt, and pressured her to perform oral sexual intercourse on his pit bull.

When a choose requested a obtaining of not responsible on an animal-abuse charge, the Cape Cod person was eventually convicted on assault and other fees, and sentenced to 6 many years in prison. The disturbing situation garnered nationwide media interest, and prompted his sufferer, Gabbe Rowland, to come to be an advocate for domestic-violence survivors.

Now, extra than a calendar year immediately after his launch from prison, a neighborhood probate-courtroom judge has allowed the man to alter his name in a shift that Rowland claims allows him dodge accountability and places other women at possibility of turning out to be his target.

“Based mostly on what he has finished to me and other girls in my group, it really is a make any difference of public basic safety,” Rowland told Insider.

In November, Rowland appeared by cellular phone in Barnstable Probate and Household Courtroom listening to objecting to the name alter.

She explained to the court docket she believed that if Mustafa — now Justin Curtis — was permitted to change his identify, women of all ages wouldn’t be ready to very easily unearth his previous.

In courtroom, although, Curtis, 33, argued that religion was the purpose he was making use of for a title transform.

Curtis testified that he converted to Christianity from Islam at the ask for of his mother various decades ago and that Mustafa is a identify with Islamic roots. His mom has due to the fact died, and he needed to modify his identify to keep away from the “religious conflict,” he said.

On Tuesday, a decide ruled in his favor.

Decide Angela Ordoñez wrote that due to the fact of her “tough encounter,” Rowland’s fear that people today might not know Curtis’ criminal record without recognizing his start identify is credible.

Story carries on

Curtis, though, is not attempting to hide the identify improve and filed see of it in The Cape Cod Times and at the court’s probation workplace, as required, she wrote.

“The Courtroom understands the Objector’s concerns and purpose for presenting an objection and commends her producing her causes recognized,” Ordoñez ruled. “The Court docket finally finds that Petitioner’s reason for in search of the identify alter is fair and not against public desire.”

Lady ‘in shock’ soon after decision

The 7 days of abuse that Rowland endured at her partner’s fingers was commonly noted in neighborhood and international media.

Rowland gave interviews to The Cape Cod Occasions and afterwards to other media outlets, using management of her story by sharing the information of her abuse and healing — constantly utilizing her authentic identify.

She reported she and Mustafa commenced dating in 2011, but he was soon sent to jail on fees relevant to filming his ex-girlfriend naked devoid of her consent. He instructed her at the time the accusation was a lie manufactured up by a vengeful ex, and she thought him, Rowland claimed.

She stayed with him for the duration of the year he was in jail. When he was introduced in 2013, their connection grew to become bodily and verbally abusive, she explained.

But the worst was even now in advance. It wasn’t until eventually just after Rowland broke up with Mustafa that the abuse took an even additional sinister flip.

In June 2013, he picked her up from get the job done and injected her with heroin. Over the following 7 days, he did it a number of extra moments, she reported. Rowland explained when she was unwell and significant from the drugs, he would rape her and defeat her with a belt. On a person occasion, she mentioned, he instructed her to undress then brought his pit bull in and informed her to give the dog oral intercourse. She claimed Mustafa then compelled her to give him oral intercourse.

The Cape Cod Instances described that at the trial Mustafa referred to as just one witness — his grandfather, a previous area selectman and law enforcement officer who mentioned that he by no means heard any indications of abuse coming from his grandson’s bed room.

A information still left for Curtis at a selection mentioned for his grandfather was not right away returned. Other attempts to find Curtis ended up unsuccessful.

Rowland reported she is therapeutic from the abuse and is doing work to battle the stigma all-around domestic violence. 

She told Insider she’s nonetheless “in shock” that a man accused of these kinds of vile abuse was authorized to improve his name right after becoming convicted.

Rowland stated she felt the probate decide “was on my aspect” when she informed her story in court docket but thinks Curtis “did his homework” and his religious assert certain his victory.

Rowland has a long-lasting restraining buy versus Curtis, and paperwork supplied to her by the condition Office of Corrections checklist his handle in Falmouth — the exact same city the place she life.

“They say he is in Falmouth, the exact city that I’m in, about two minutes absent,” she explained.

Simply because there were no formal sexual intercourse-criminal offense expenses in her case versus Curtis, he is not registered as a sex offender and so shifting his name gets rid of the most effortlessly available connection to the crimes he committed, Rowland said.

Read the initial article on Insider