Another example that prisoner reform does not always work has surfaced in the mass media. Tuesday, Robert Williams, was found guilty of the rape and torture of a Columbia University graduate student. The victim endured 19 hours of torture during which she was scalded with boiling water, bleach poured into her eyes in an attempted to blind her and then left to burn to death. Robert Williams was convicted of attempted murder, rape, kidnapping, arson and other charges in the attack.
Robert Williams, 31, is an ex con who does not seem to care about anything other than himself. According to the victim, the torture was so prolonged and severe, that she begged Williams to kill her. Williams apparently made her swallow multiple painkillers, ordered her to gouge out her eyes with scissors, sealed her lips with glue and duct taped her before torching her apartment. Williams did not bother to attend court to hear the verdict. Apparently, when Williams was later told about the guilty verdict, he simply rolled over in his jail house bed. Williams was represented by attorney Arnold Levine.
Robert Williams, 31, is an ex con who does not seem to care about anything other than himself. According to the victim, the torture was so prolonged and severe, that she begged Williams to kill her. Williams apparently made her swallow multiple painkillers, ordered her to gouge out her eyes with scissors, sealed her lips with glue and duct taped her before torching her apartment. Williams did not bother to attend court to hear the verdict. Apparently, when Williams was later told about the guilty verdict, he simply rolled over in his jail house bed. Williams was represented by attorney Arnold Levine.
Williams, who previously served eight years in prison for attempted murder, could get a life in prison as his sentence when he appears at his July 24,2008 hearing. The prosecution is represented by Ann Prunty. Evidence of the victim's DNA on William's shirt played an important role in his conviction. During the three-week trial, the defendant was in court for only a few hours. He showed up on the day the victim testified and she identified him for the jury as her rapist and tormentor. Cases like this, one can make even protestors of the death penalty think twice.
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22 comments:
The key should have been thrown away the first time he was arrested and jailed, he wasnt fit to be in public....
This is tragic. He's disturbed!
Clearly the system doesn't work. You cant cage people for years with no intense clinical help and then let them out and expect them to fit seamlessly back into society.
Prisoner reform doesn't exist.
Personally, I think they should allow the victim to think of the worst possible forms of torture and give him 19 hours of it. Then, give him the death penalty but "forget" to administer the ones that knock him out.
Prisoner reform does not exist. Although some could benefit from it, there are those that cannot grow a conscience. For those, I agree with throwing away the key and have these guys do physical labor. We could have then build nice roads and fix old bridges.
Not sure we want to take away jobs from people who build bridges and roads...
It is never that simple or easy...
Blast these repeat offenders!
Melanie, forgive and forget!
This too shall pass in time. Judge not yet you shall be judged. Any one can change and be reformed with the help of our Savior.
J.J.
Wow Robert Williams, wasn't eight years enough? but i mean honestly when you lock someone up for 8 years with no one but other convicted felons to talk to, what do you ecpect? I mean I sure can't imagine his cell mates encouraging him to do good deeds and not break the law! Why dont we have therapists in these jails talking to convicted felons? I wish I could talk to someone who has commited murder or is about to because it would be great if we could have someone like a therapist get inside these criminal minds and then when they have served enough time in jail and after they have talked to a therapist everyday of their prison life, they can set the immates free and they just maybe will live like a normal person in a normal society..... try that in some jails, maybe we can slow down crime.
Certainly prison can modify the behavior of normal criminals. Nobody I have ever represented wanted to go back to prison, (even though it is less terrifying the second time around). There is no question that even hardened offenders have changed there behavior to minimize the risk of being sent back. However no prison is going to change the behavior of someone who is mentally ill or mentally defective, which unfortunately is a significant percentage of the prison population. It appears from what I have read in the papers that Mr. Williams is a psychopath and malignant narcissist. I am sure the guards and prison officials from his first prison stay recognized these traits. The problem is that they had no way to deal with it; no money for treatment or even psychotropic medications. All they could do was warehouse this time bomb until his sentence had run out. If we would take the money that we spend on one day in the Iraq war and spend it on the diagnosis and treatment of offenders we would cut the percentage of repeat offenders by a very substantial percentage.
I am with Brooklyn on this one...
Good to hear from you J.J. And I respect your opinion.
Now, range me.
L.S.
Most people never can come to grasp with the fact that bad people simply exist. No drugs or therapy will cure that-nor does the fact that we can clinically identify types of behavior hold a person less accountable to their behavior.
19 hours is an extremely long time for someone to repeatedly torment/torture a person. There is ample amount of time there for him to feel remorse, to reconsider.
It didn't happen. People like Robert Williams is why the Death Penalty is a necessity. We apply the Death Penalty in cases where it doesn't necessarily warrant it, and states like NY don't have it for someone who deserves nothing less.
Fry time!
This man is scum!
Once a con always a con?
The reason Robert Williams spent nineteen hours torturing one person is because he didn't have any more victims to share his time with. He could have done just as much devastation with one hour on nineteen victims.
Are you suggesting Williams should spread his attention more diversely?
Ex con was not ex for long!
So much for reform
Psychopaths cannot be rehabilitated.
I agree with you Melanie.
Guilt is in the eyes of the beholder...
Ever heard of lack of intent to demonstrate the necessary mens rea?
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