MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Queens man was convicted Tuesday of multiple counts of rape and predatory sexual assault for attacking three women in Hempstead between 2015 and 2020, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced.
Adell Hardwick, 36, was found guilty after a bench trial before Judge Teresa Corrigan. He was convicted of three counts of rape in the first degree, predatory sexual assault, and three counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree. Hardwick was acquitted of one count of predatory sexual assault. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26 and faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“This defendant is a serial rapist with a long history of violent crimes,” Donnelly said in a statement. “The bravery of these women in coming forward to police after the defendant’s monstrous attacks led to the collection of DNA samples that were the linchpin to his prosecution.”
Hardwick’s conviction stems from three violent rapes in Hempstead. In January 2015, he assaulted a 42-year-old woman in an abandoned house on Main Street. In June 2019, he raped a 51-year-old woman in Denton Green Park after dragging her into nearby bushes. In January 2020, Hardwick attacked a 55-year-old woman, strangling and raping her in an abandoned garage.
DNA samples collected after each incident were matched to Hardwick through a buccal swab taken after his April 2020 arrest for the most recent assault.
Hardwick will remain in custody until his sentencing next month.
