A Queens woman who survived a brutal hammer attack in a subway station in 2022 confronted her assailant in court Thursday, demanding answers and finding some measure of justice as he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Nina Rothschild, 60, stood in a Queens courtroom and stared down the man convicted of bludgeoning her in the head approximately 13 times with a hammer, asking one question: “Why me?”
William Blount, also 60, was found guilty of following Rothschild down the steps of the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City on Feb. 24, 2022, before kicking her and then brutally striking her skull with a hammer before fleeing with her bag. The assaults were captured on surveillance video.
Police from the 108th Precinct found Rothschild covered in blood. She underwent emergency surgery for multiple skull fractures, which required removing parts of her skull that were later replaced with titanium mesh.
Blount, who appeared before Judge John Zoll for sentencing, wore handcuffs, a white shirt, and a brown tie. He remained expressionless and offered no signs of remorse for the attack, which has since left Rothschild afraid to take the subway after work.
“He didn’t look at me, he didn’t engage with me. He made no attempt at eye contact or anything,” Rothschild said.
During the proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Lauren Reilly described Blount as a persistent, violent felon who had previously served time in the 1980s and 1990s for other robberies, including outside of New York. Prosecutors pointed to his prior offenses as further evidence that he should not be released.
Blount’s defense attorney, Garnett Sullivan, argued his client had undergone significant rehabilitation and aspired to become a fashion designer, noting that Blount wore homemade bowties throughout his trial. But Judge Zoll was unmoved.
“That a human being could act like this toward another human being with such brutality and such depravity, that’s what I saw on the tape, and it only got worse,” Judge Zoll told the courtroom. ”I thought at first you were hitting her with your cane to maybe get her to free her bag, but it turns out you were hitting her over the head with a hammer. This woman, who was a fraction of your size… you clearly had the ability to take her bag.”
Judge Zoll said he had never before issued the maximum sentence in his career but believed it was warranted in this case. He sentenced Blount to 25 years to life in prison.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz praised the outcome, saying the sentence sends a clear message.
“The first thing it does is hold William Blount accountable for the brutal attack. The second thing it does is make sure that people know that there is a deterrent, that if you attack people in the subway, if you ruin our way of life, if you attack the safety that every New Yorker should feel while traveling on public transportation in the city of New York, you will be held accountable. You will be prosecuted,” Katz said.
Rothschild said she will sleep easier knowing Blount will likely never walk free again.
“Mr. Blount will be in prison until what will probably be the end of his life,” she said. “Twenty-five years from now is a very long time away.”
