'Serial Rapist' Convicted Of 3 Violent Long Island Incidents

A 36-year-old "serial rapist" was found guilty Friday, Sept. 6, of raping three women on Long Island after DNA linked him to the attacks, some of which stretch back nearly a decade, authorities said.

Queens resident Adell Hardwick, age 36, was convicted of three counts of rape, predatory sexual assault, and three counts of criminal sexual act, the Nassau County District Attorney's Office said.

He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he's sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 26.

DA Anne Donnelly said Hardwick used his knowledge of Hempstead to carry out his attacks in places he was unlikely to be seen.

The first attack was reported on Jan. 25, 2015, when a 42-year-old woman was walking on Main Street and Hardwick jumped her, dragged her into an abandoned house, raped her, and sodomized her, the prosecutor said.

• Original Report: Alleged Serial Rapist Tied To 3 Long Island Rapes

The second attack happened on June 4, 2019, when he approached a 51-year-old woman inside Denton Green Park, dragged her into some bushes, raped her, and sodomized her.

In 2020, he forced a 55-year-old woman at knifepoint into an abandoned house on Hilton Avenue, where he raped and sodomized her, authorities said. Hardwick strangled her during the attack, but she was able to escape and contact police, the prosecutor said.

Police arrested Hardwick in 2020 after police collected his DNA and connected him to the violent attacks.

“This defendant is a serial rapist with a long history of violent crimes,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said after the verdict. “He used his knowledge of Hempstead to identify secluded and abandoned areas and violently, forcibly raped women he had just met.

"The bravery of these women in coming forward to police after the defendant’s monstrous attacks led to the collection of DNA samples that together were the linchpin to his prosecution and to finally seeing justice for what they endured.

"My Cold Case Unit will continue to doggedly pursue leads and reevaluate evidence to solve these crimes.”