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Suspected Rapist Knew He Was Wanted
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 22, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 22, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The man suspected of raping a 23-year-old woman last weekend was aware people were looking for him. Robert Williams, who was arrested after trying to rob a Queens apartment, was charged with rape, attempted murder, kidnapping and more in connection to the violent 19-hour rape and torture of Columbia graduate student in her Hamilton Heights apartment at West 141st and Hamilton Terrace (building pictured). Today, the Daily News reports that Williams tore down wanted posters with a police sketch of himself on them, according to someone who saw him take the poster and stuff it into his pocket.
One of Williams' own relatives called the police to identify him in the police sketch after hearing about the crime. The crime was brutal: The rapist not only sexually assaulted the woman, but slit her eyelids with scissors, tried to make her overdose on an Ibuprofen-like drug and liquid Tylenol, poured bleach on her genitals in an attempt to remove DNA evidence, made her cut her own hair, and tied her up as he set fire to her futon. The woman, who has undergone surgery and is being treated for her burns, reportedly "rallying" and has been asking to see family.
A police source tells the Post that Williams "was trying to do things, to change his personal appearance." Another tells the News, "This guy is playing the crazy angle. But it's not working. Everything he did was deliberate and calculating. He knew what he was doing." And George Guadalupe, a Queens resident who helped capture Williams after he tried to rob Guadalupe's apartment, told the Daily News, "He's a sicko. I think he should be locked up for good. Or maybe they should let him out - so we can finish him."
Tagged
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murder
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The Police
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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