|
NEW YORK (AP) - A homeless ex-convict has been arrested in the rape and torture of a Columbia University graduate student, who was held hostage for 19 hours, cut with a knife and left tied up with the bed set ablaze.
Robert Williams, 30, was picked up following a routine burglary report and faces attempted murder, rape, kidnapping, arson and other charges stemming from last week's assault, police said Friday.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said neighbors of the still-hospitalized victim picked Williams out of lineups, identifying him as the man loitering outside her upper Manhattan building before the assault. An anonymous tipster had previously named the attacker as "Pooh" — a nickname that matched one on Williams' criminal record.
|