QUEENS, NY – A Manhattan man has been convicted of a violent hammer attack on a woman inside a Queens Plaza subway station that left the victim with severe injuries, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
William Blount, 60, was found guilty of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon for the February 2022 subway assault in Long Island City. He was acquitted of attempted murder charges following a six-week trial before Supreme Court Justice John Zoll.
Blount attacked a 58-year-old woman as she entered the station, striking her in the head with a hammer and stealing her tote bag. The assault caused multiple skull fractures, a broken finger, and required the victim to undergo a bilateral craniectomy.
Investigators tracked Blount using surveillance footage and later recovered the hammer and the victim’s stolen items from a Long Island City residence. DNA evidence further connected him to the crime.
Blount faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 7.