Columbia U. student IDs Jamaica man as attacker
By Ivan Pereira
Comment
A Columbia University graduate student identified a Jamaica homeless man Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court as the person who she said brutally raped and tortured her last year in her apartment.
The 24-year-old unidentified victim described in full detail how she was attacked over a 19-hour period in her residence April 13, 2007 and eventually escaped to safety. The victim named Robert Williams, whose last known address was in Jamaica, as the man who broke into her Hamilton Heights apartment, the New York Post reported.
"The man with the black T-shirt," she said as she pointed at the 31-year-old man who has been charged on several counts, including kidnapping, predatory sexual assault and attempted murder.
The victim said Williams forced his way into her apartment that night, tied her up, poisoned her with drugs from her medicine cabinet, raped her and slashed her eyes with a butcher knife, the Post reported. After begging him to kill her, the victim said her attacker left her with a frightening response.
"You wanted to die, right?" she recalled him asking before he draped her face in a blanket.
The victim awoke hours later after Williams set fire to her apartment, according to prosecutors. She testified that she used the flames to melt the cables that he tied her with and got out of the apartment before it burned, the Post said.
Williams was arrested a few weeks later in Hollis after he allegedly robbed a home April 19. Officers recognized him as the suspect wanted in the Manhattan rape and arraigned him for that crime.
If convicted in Manhattan Criminal Court for his charges, Williams faces up to 15 years to life in prison. He is also pending trial on burglary charges in Queens Criminal Court, the Queens DA's office said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
The 24-year-old unidentified victim described in full detail how she was attacked over a 19-hour period in her residence April 13, 2007 and eventually escaped to safety. The victim named Robert Williams, whose last known address was in Jamaica, as the man who broke into her Hamilton Heights apartment, the New York Post reported.
"The man with the black T-shirt," she said as she pointed at the 31-year-old man who has been charged on several counts, including kidnapping, predatory sexual assault and attempted murder.
The victim said Williams forced his way into her apartment that night, tied her up, poisoned her with drugs from her medicine cabinet, raped her and slashed her eyes with a butcher knife, the Post reported. After begging him to kill her, the victim said her attacker left her with a frightening response.
"You wanted to die, right?" she recalled him asking before he draped her face in a blanket.
The victim awoke hours later after Williams set fire to her apartment, according to prosecutors. She testified that she used the flames to melt the cables that he tied her with and got out of the apartment before it burned, the Post said.
Williams was arrested a few weeks later in Hollis after he allegedly robbed a home April 19. Officers recognized him as the suspect wanted in the Manhattan rape and arraigned him for that crime.
If convicted in Manhattan Criminal Court for his charges, Williams faces up to 15 years to life in prison. He is also pending trial on burglary charges in Queens Criminal Court, the Queens DA's office said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
 |
|
| City Council candidates make their cases to civics | Cops search for car wash employee in fatal crash |
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff after appearing on the Web site.
|
