Arrest made in vicious attack on woman at Texas mall
HOUSTON -- Police have arrested and charged a man in the vicious beating of a woman at Memorial City Mall.
Maurice Mosley, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a woman was found beaten, and lying facedown in a pool of her own blood Sunday morning.
Mall visitor Ashley Hill discovered the woman near the sinks, moaning for help.
"She was missing at least one or more teeth, she was bleeding from every side of her head I could see, out of her ears. She was in really bad shape," said Hill.
According to court documents, the 31-year-old victim walked into the bathroom at 8:30 a.m.
She said that she heard someone walk into the bathroom and when she left the stall, she saw Mosley looking at her and holding a plastic trash bag.
As she went to wash her hands, the woman looked over and acknowledged him with a head nod.
That's when Mosley allegedly took the trash bag, which was made into a rope, and wrapped it around her neck, choking her until she lost consciousness.
He then climbed on top of her, continuing to pull on the plastic bag around her neck.
The victim stated that Mosley repeatedly kicked her in the face and head and stomped on her before climbing back on top of her to choke her with the bag, according to court documents.
Hill says the victim told her she worked at the mall. She had tried screaming for help but noise from a nearby hockey practice at the mall ice rink may have drowned her cries out. She also says the victim indicated she didn't know the man, nothing had been taken from her and she didn't believe she had been sexually assaulted.
The victim's father talked to ABC7's sister station KTRK over the phone Thursday about Mosley's arrest.
"This has to be one of the most vicious and brutal attacks imaginable. This guy is a threat to everyone if he is on the street. I'm glad this guy is off the street," he said.
The victim said in court documents that she suffered bleeding, bruising and swelling to her face and head.
Her father told us that his daughter's broken jaw is wired shut from the attack, but she is resting comfortably at home.
She does have serious dental damage, which is expected to be a long-term issue, he said.
She will see a doctor today.
"Something is driving a lot of rage inside someone to hurt someone that bad," said Hill.
Hill stayed with the victim at the hospital until her family arrived.
Police say Mosley ran out of the mall and through the parking lot before getting away on a METRO bus southbound on Gessner Street.
Court paperwork said the woman caught a glimpse of Mosley in the mirror before he beat her, but she was unable to pick him out of a photo lineup.
However, police say mall surveillance cameras captured the entire attack.
The woman's boyfriend says he's seen that video.
"I can see why it made seasoned officers squirm. The attacker was so casual and cold, like it was a Sunday stroll. Pure violence and evil," said the boyfriend.
Also in court documents, officers said they dealt with Mosley before on a previous call in southwest Houston and that they know him by name.
Mosley's bond has been set at $100,000.
