NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A man was convicted of robbing and brutally attacking a woman with a hammer as she entered a Queens subway station in 2022, prosecutors said Thursday.
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William Blount, 60, whose last known address was on William Street in Manhattan, was acquitted of attempted murder charges but faces up to 25 years to life in prison for assault in the first degree, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the charges, at approximately 11:20 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2022, a 58-year-old woman was walking down the stairs to the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City when Blount, who was walking with a black cane, approached her from behind.
Blount then kicked the victim down the stairs, struck her on the head 13 times with a hammer and grabbed her handbag before fleeing the scene, Queens District Attorney Katz said.
The victim was rushed to an area hospital where she was treated for multiple skull fractures and underwent a bilateral craniectomy to repair her skull with titanium mesh. She also sustained a broken finger and other injuries.
Investigators tracked the Blount's movements using video surveillance, which showed him carrying the victim's bag as he walked from the subway station to a relative's house on 12th Street.
Authorities arrested Blount on Feb. 27, 2022. On Feb. 28, 2022, a search warrant was executed on the house on 12th Street where police recovered a hammer, a black cane and the victim's tote bag from the location, prosecutors said.
Further testing revealed a mixture of the Blount's and the victim's DNA on the hammer, and a mixture of contributors of DNA including the Blount's, on the black cane.
"This defendant repeatedly bashed an innocent straphanger in the head with a hammer. The victim – who was simply trying to use the subway as millions of New Yorkers do every day – suffered multiple skull fractures," District Attorney Katz said.
"Thanks to the extraordinary intervention by emergency medical personnel, who reduced swelling of the woman's brain, she was able to recuperate and reclaim some quality of life. I thank my prosecutors and NYPD officers who helped achieve justice in this case," Katz added.
Blount's sentencing is set for May 7.
