Following a harrowing episode outside a Smithsonian museum early this year, the attacker has been formally indicted. Kelly Williams, a 52-year-old resident from New Orleans, is facing a seven-count indictment related to the assault in Washington D.C., authorities reported. The charges include assault with intent to kill while armed and malicious disfigurement while armed, among other counts, as announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Details emerged that on January 12, Williams allegedly attacked a visiting New Zealander right in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Williams is said to have followed the victim, initiating the attack from behind, pulling her to the ground, and proceeding to violently punch her. As the assault escalated, Williams reportedly endeavored to slash the tourist's neck with a knife and managed to inflict a severe facial wound, requiring approximately 40 stitches. The assault was interrupted and subsequently ended when passersby intervened.
The indictment was returned on Wednesday, and arraignment is scheduled for March 27. All defendants, as the legal tenet holds, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The indictment remains an allegation at this stage.
The investigation, which led to these indictments, was a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuel Hampton at the helm of the prosecution. While the motivations behind Williams's alleged attack remain unclear, the judicial process intended to truly examine this alarming incident is now firmly underway.
