Overview

• William Blount was sentenced on July 10 in Queens Criminal Court to 25 years to life after his February conviction on robbery, assault and attempted murder charges for the 2022 hammer attack.
• Blount, 60, ambushed 57-year-old commuter Nina Rothschild at Queens Plaza station, kicking her down stairs and striking her 13 times in the head with a hammer before fleeing with her bag.
• Surveillance video captured the unprovoked assault and led to Blount’s arrest shortly after the incident, forming key evidence during the trial.
• Judge Zoll called Rothschild’s survival “a miracle” and rebuked Blount’s lawyer for arguing that he considered the victim “a nice lady” during her testimony.
• Rothschild, who endured multiple skull fractures and intensive surgery, has resumed daily subway travel as she continues her remarkable recovery.