Woman Experiences 19 Hour Rape and Torture

Sorted under sexual assault, violence against women on June 8, 2008

Trigger Warning!

On April 13, 2007, a 23-year-old Columbia University journalism student was followed from the elevator in her apartment building to her apartment door by Robert A. Williams. He asked if she knew where a Mrs. Evans lives and when she stopped and hesitated, her had the perfect opportunity to force himself into the woman’s apartment.

After forcing himself into the woman’s apartment, Robert A. Williams, 31, put the woman in a chokehold and slapped her cellphone out of her hand. After turning a clock to the wall so the woman didn’t know what time it was, he raped her repeatedly and cut her hair because “he wanted to see her face, her fear and humiliation.” He made her sit in her bath tub and told her to gouge her own eyes out with a pair of scissors. When she refused, he punished her by throwing boiling water onto her face and body which caused such a jolt, that she broke her wrists out of the restraints he had put on her earlier.

Throughout the 19 hour ordeal, he had also doused the woman with bleach, forced her to swallow handfuls of pills and chase them with beer, sealed her mouth with glue, and bound her wrists and legs with shoelaces, cords and duct tape. When told to gouge her own eyes out with a pair of scissors the second time, she held the scissors in between her knees and lowered herself onto it, turning her head at the last minute and stabbing herself in the neck, hoping to kill herself–But it didn’t work.

After slicing the woman’s eyelids open intending to ruin her vision because “a blind witness could never identify her attacker,” he fastened her legs and arms to a futon, and she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she smelled smoke and got herself (and the futon she was fastened to so she couldn’t move) to the fire and used it to free her arms.

This is an intense, scary, horrific and very, very real story. More people need to speak up about this type of violence because it happens and it isn’t always making headlines.



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  • Claire
    This makes me want to vomit. I don't even know what to say... this man needs to be brought to justice many, many times. Once by the courts, and once by every woman who has ever been enraged by this kind of story or experience. I'd go into more detail about what kind of torture I'd love to see him suffer under but, well, that would be a tad gruesome.

    Thank you for bringing this story to the public's attention, as disturbing as it may be.
  • Kaytee
    wow. that's insane.../=
  • Yes, it could happen to a male, but it did happen to a female. In cases such as these, should those of us who spread the word about it always put a disclaimer on the bottom of our posts saying "Yes, I am aware that this could also happen to a male." ? It seems a little ridiculous to me and if it did happen to a male and I did hear about it, I would most definitely post about it because I am aware that rape, torture, molestation, etc. happens to males as well, it just happens a lot more to women.

    What I am also picking up from your comment, 'Me,' is that there's something in your head giving you the idea that this website consists of only feminist issues and nothing more, which if you looked around a little bit, you would see that isn't the case; I write a lot about politics and about issues that couldn't be classified strictly under feminist or women's issues. This website is simply a feminist's response to all of the fuckedupness in the world and how I feel about it--Nothing more.
  • Me
    This man could quite posibly have done just as horrid things to a male, because what he did was a disgrace to all humans, not just females. That fact that this issue is treated in a feminist light disgusts me. I happen to be female and strongly feminist, but only on issues where there is a reason for it. You should learn to tell the difference between feminism and equal evilness.
  • Amy
    I want to vomit.
    this is horrible.
    it's terrible that no woman is safe these days.
    even standing at her own door.
  • rae
    Misogyny at it's worst, I'd say.
    How is it that this news story is just coming out now?
  • Damn. *shakes head* I'd pray to be dead before enduring violence of this magnitude.
  • This is so disgusting. I can't fathom what could drive him to do this to someone...but it's clear that he should be locked up. I think that the decision is being made in the next day or so (I may be wrong)
  • Shockingly frightening - thanks for posting
  • Why is it that I have suddenly started to support the death penalty?
    Not that it would help the victim, though. Are there any news reports on how she is recovering?
  • Monavie
    I don't know why we haven't heard a lot about this in the last year since it happened, but I'm glad you shared it. People do need to be aware that stuff like this doesn't only happen in movies. I feel so sorry for this girl. I hope that sick guy gets locked up forever.
  • Melissa
    If this attacker is ever caught, you have to wonder if the victim will still ever get the full justice she deserves; the law is so slow in moving criminals through the system. Let's hope the vicious fool is caught.
  • OMG that's so insane. Very sickening and cruel. I think they should do the same to him that he did to her.
  • Jane
    I was on StumbleUpon and I not sure how this came up but I'm Glad I read this. I'm surprised I have never heard of this violence before and People should need to speak up about it, I wouldn't blame the women for trying to stab her self with scissors, I would of proberly not been able to handle Boiling water! If I was that Lady I would of proberly wouldn't be able to even talk to another man! That story was pretty horrific and I guess there are alot more women out there who have suffered he same thing...
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