Kingston man indicted for attempted murder in hammer attack on woman

KINGSTON - A Kingston man has been indicted for attempted murder and other charges after he allegedly attacked a woman with a hammer in June.

The Ulster County District Attorney's office said the defendant, William Knox Jr., 54, of Kingston, was arraigned on the indictment on Tuesday last week.

Knox was indicted for attempted second-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies.

The indictment was handed up by an Ulster County grand jury on July 12.

According to the district attorney's office, Knox allegedly followed a woman in the city of Kingston after she rejected his sexual advances on June 19.

The woman changed her direction and tried to cross Broadway in an apparent attempt to avoid Knox, but he caught up to her in the middle of Broadway and accosted her. The district attorney's office said Knox knocked the woman down and repeatedly struck her on the head with a hammer until she was unable to move.

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Knox then left the woman lying in the middle of Broadway, the district attorney's office said.

"The rapid advancement of this case from crime to courtroom demonstrates our unwavering commitment to justice," Chief Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills said in a statement. "Let it be known that those who perpetrate violence in our county will be met with the full force of justice."

Knox was represented by Mark Formichelli of the Dutchess County Public Defender's office, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Kingston man indicted for attempted murder in hammer attack on woman