By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
A Mercer County grand jury has indicted a Philadelphia, Pa., man on charges of robbery, kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, theft and weapons charges, according to the Mercer County prosecutor’s office.
On May 11, 2008, Omar S. Cash, 27, of Philadelphia, raped and robbed the 41-year-old woman at the Comfort Inn on Brunswick Pike in Lawrence, after abducting the victim and her boyfriend at gunpoint in the Philadelphia area, said prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio.
Mr. Cash forced the woman’s boyfriend, Edgar Gutierrez, to drive to a location in Bensalem, Pa., Ms. DeBlasio said, and forced Mr. Gutierrez out of the car and shot him to death. He has been charged with homicide in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Cash drove the woman to the Comfort Inn in Lawrence and sexually assaulted her, according to the prosecutor’s office. He stole her purse, which contained her wallet and cell phone, and fled, Ms. DeBlasio said. He was subsequently apprehended in New York City.
The Mercer County grand jury indicted Mr. Cash on one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count each of second-degree robbery and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Ms. DeBlasio said.
Mr. Cash also was indicted on third-degree possession of unlawful possession of a weapon, one count of fourth-degree theft and two counts each of first-degree aggravated sexual assault.
If convicted of the kidnapping charge, Mr. Cash faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Each first-degree offense carries a penalty of 10 to 20 years in prison, Ms. DeBlasio said.

