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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 25, 2023
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Kalamazoo SAKI Unit Secures Conviction by Plea in College Campus Cold Case Assault |
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LANSING ? Adam Williams, 35, of Jackson, pled guilty to three counts of 3rd degree Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 9th Circuit Court in Kalamazoo County on Monday, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.?The 2010 assault was investigated by the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), established to investigate cold-case sexual assaults.?
At a 2010 party hosted by Williams in his dormitory on the campus of Western Michigan University, Williams furnished the then-20-year-old woman with alcohol and she subsequently became highly intoxicated and physically ill. When all other guests had left the party, she remained in the bathroom connected to the dorm room, intoxicated to a state of physical helplessness.?Williams found her in a semi-undressed state in the bathroom seated on the toilet and, while she remained physically helpless, committed several acts of penetrative assault upon her.???
Williams admitted in his plea deal acceptance that he knew the victim to be helpless due to intoxication, and physically unable to communicate any consent, and to penetrating the victim with his finger, tongue, and penis.?Williams? plea agreement includes a minimum sentence agreement of five years in prison.?
This assault left the victim with vaginal injuries and serious mental anguish that negatively impacted her life for the last 13 years.??
?I?ve waited over 13 years for this moment,? said the victim. ?Having a whole team of people believe you and fight for the justice you deserve, it brings so much healing. This gave me the chance to stand up for myself and take back my voice.??
?The Kalamazoo County SAKI team remains committed to holding predators accountable for sexual violence, and I?m grateful for their work and the healing it?provides to?the victims?of?cold case assaults,? said Nessel.??Our State?s talented SAKI investigators and prosecutors continue to show victims, especially those long-suffering in silence, that there is a victim-centered and trauma-informed pathway to justice.??
Williams? bond was revoked upon conviction and he is currently in custody at the Kalamazoo County Jail. He will be sentenced by Judge Pamela Lightvoet on November 20th in the 9th Circuit Court in Kalamazoo County.??
?This case is another example of the excellent work that we have come to expect from the Kalamazoo County SAKI team,? said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Getting. ?They have shown time and time again their willingness to do the difficult work necessary to hold people like Mr. Williams accountable and to provide justice for victims that have suffered for too long.??
The Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative seeks to offer victims an opportunity to seek justice and hold offenders accountable for previously uncharged sexual assaults. The Kalamazoo SAKI is a collaborative project of the Michigan Attorney General?s Office, the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor?s Office and the YWCA of Kalamazoo. The Kalamazoo SAKI Team is in the process of investigating approximately 225 cold-case sexual assaults that occurred in Kalamazoo County between 1976 and 2015.??
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