A rape victim stalked and strangled at a SoHo apartment in 2024 bravely faced her attacker in the courtroom where he was sentenced Tuesday, declaring “You did not end me,” according to the Manhattan district attorney.
Ellow Williams, 30, pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to first-degree rape on July 28, and was sentenced to 18 years in state prison for the April 21, 2024 rape of the 23-year-old victim.
“You did not end me. You did not take my future,” the victim told Williams in court. “I am still here, still building a life that I am proud of. But while my life continues forward, yours will be halted for the next 18 years. That is the consequence of what you chose to do.”
The victim, who did not want to be named, said her life changed after the savage attack, noting her friends now squeeze her hand when a stranger approaches and make an effort to change their routes to accompany her home and ensure her safety. The victim’s friends were the ones to alert her parents of the attack.
“Ellow Williams will serve a lengthy prison sentence for brutally raping a woman who was walking into her SoHo apartment. I hope the survivor continues to heal from this horrifying attack,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “Every woman deserves to be safe while walking through the streets of Manhattan, and my office will continue to create accountability for violent offenders who jeopardize that.”
Police said Williams hid behind a parked car to avoid being detected as the victim got out of a cab in front of her building near the corner of Thompson and Prince Sts. around 4:10 a.m.
The woman opened the front door of her building with a key fob and walked into the lobby. Before the door could close, Williams, who then put on a mask over her face, crept in behind her, police said.
The man confronted the woman on the second floor, telling her, “If you scream, I’ll shoot you,” according to cops.
Williams held her neck in a chokehold so tightly that she lost consciousness several times during the vicious attack, prosecutors said. He stole $40 from the woman before he ran away, leaving her on the second floor of her building. The victim was treated at a local hospital and released.
Williams was on parole after serving time in prison on a robbery conviction, and has five prior arrests in New York City. He spent nearly two years in prison for robbery and was released on parole in March 2023, records show.
In her moving courtroom statement, the victim closed by telling Williams his incarceration gave her “comfort, closure and justice” because he won’t be able to hurt anyone else.
