Man Gets 65 Yrs. To Life After Raping 3 Nassau Women: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Queens man was sentenced on Thursday to 65 years to life in prison for raping three women in Hempstead between 2015 and 2020, prosecutors announced.

A DNA swab taken from Adell Hardwick, 36, after his arrest from rape in 2020 linked him to all three crimes, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

"Adell Hardwick targeted multiple vulnerable women with sexual violence over a period of five years, forcing them into isolated areas where he ruthlessly raped them. DNA evidence collected after each of the attacks was essential to finally connecting this defendant to each of these horrific crimes," Donnelly said.

DA Donnelly said that, on January 25, 2015, Hardwick approached a 42-year-old woman and walked with her to an abandoned house on Main Street in Hempstead. He raped the victim in the house. After a struggle, she was able to get away and contacted police.

On June 4, 2019, Hardwick approached a 51-year-old woman who was meeting with friends at Denton Green Park in Hempstead. After her friends left, he grabbed the woman and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her. The victim was able to escape and contacted police, Donnelly said.

On January 30, 2020, Hardwick approached at 55-year-old woman on the street in Hempstead and forced her into an abandoned garage. He violently strangled the victim, raped her, and fled the scene, the D.A. said.

"Today’s prison sentence ensures that Adell Hardwick will never harm another woman again in Nassau County,” Donnelly said.