June 9, 2008
NEW YORK -- A Columbia University graduate student who was raped, tortured and burned during a gruesome 19-hour attack has identified the defendant while testifying in a Manhattan courtroom.
The 23-year-old victim - her jaws set tight - looked directly at Robert Williams and pointed at him on Monday when asked to identify her attacker.
Although she thought she would die, the woman says she memorized his physical features and scars: head to toe, front and back. Williams, who was shackled, looked down or straight ahead during her testimony.
The prosecution says the ex-convict tried to blind the woman by hurling bleach in her face and ordering her to gouge out her own eyes with scissors. She also was forced to ingest a massive dose of painkillers that caused liver failure.
The defense sought unsuccessfully to have Williams declared unfit for trial.
