Maniac Who Attacked 60-Year-Old Woman with Hammer Sentenced for Shocking Crime

A brutal hammer-wielding attacker who nearly killed a woman in a Queens subway station has been sentenced to 25 years to life — and the judge made it clear: this predator belongs behind bars for good.

William Blount, 60, showed no visible remorse Thursday as he stood in a New York courtroom, listening to the harrowing words of the woman he tried to destroy in February 2022.

“You fractured my skull. You could have killed me,” said Nina Rothschild, the 60-year-old scientist who was bludgeoned 13 times in the head with a hammer while commuting home. “Please ensure that he never sees the light of day outside the walls of a prison.”

The unprovoked attack was captured on chilling surveillance footage: Rothschild was walking down the stairs at the Queens Plaza E, M, and R subway station when Blount crept up behind her, smashed her head with a hammer, kicked her, and stole her bag — leaving her bloody and screaming on the platform.

“He hit her in the head 13 times with a hammer,” Judge John Zoll said, visibly shaken. “She didn’t fall, so he kicked her again. You’re three times her size. It was savage.”

Zoll then did something he had never done in his judicial career — he handed down the maximum sentence allowed by law.

“I’ve never given the maximum until now,” the judge said, calling Rothschild “a miracle” for surviving the assault and having the courage to testify.

A Queens jury had convicted Blount of robbery and assault back in April but acquitted him of attempted murder — a decision that outraged many following the case.

In a bizarre twist, Blount’s defense attorney claimed his client was “a nice man” who just wanted to be a fashion designer.

“He’s made every bowtie he’s worn out of paperclips,” attorney Garnett Sullivan told the court. “He’s planning a fashion show in August.”

The courtroom sat in stunned silence.

“Why me?” Rothschild demanded of her attacker. “What did I ever do to you? If you only wanted to rob me, you didn’t have to try to kill me.”

The case sparked outrage across the city and renewed calls for better subway safety and tougher penalties for violent offenders. Rothschild’s courage in confronting her attacker, both at the scene and again in court, has made her a symbol of resilience in the face of urban violence.

As for Blount, his August fashion show will be taking place — in prison.