FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 12 to 24 Years in Prison in Connection to
Seven Separate Attacks on Women in East Williamsburg
Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Hate Crime Charges for Targeting Light-Skinned Women
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced today that an East Williamsburg man has been sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison for a series of attacks on women in East Williamsburg, selecting his victims based on their gender and skin color.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Today’s lengthy prison sentence holds this predator accountable for his terrifying spree of violent attacks on women and sends a strong message that we will not tolerate hate crimes in Brooklyn. My office remains committed to seeking justice for all hate crime victims, and I thank these very strong women for their courage and cooperation.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Khari Covington, 31, who resided in an East Williamsburg transitional housing center. The defendant, who was deemed a mandatory violent persistent felony offender, was today sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 12 to 24 years in prison. He pleaded guilty on September 7, 2022 to third-degree burglary as a hate crime, second-degree attempted strangulation as a hate crime and third-degree assault as a hate crime.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between August 5, 2020 and January 4, 2021, the defendant assaulted seven women, whom he targeted because they were women and light-skinned, according to his statements to investigators.
The incidents include the following:
- An assault on August 5, 2020 at approximately 9:45 a.m., inside 20 Morgan Avenue.
- An assault on November 17, 2020, at approximately 8 p.m., inside the Morgan Avenue train station.
- An assault on December 11, 2020 at approximately 9:15 p.m. at the Morgan Avenue train station.
- An assault on December 28, 2020, at approximately 5 p.m., inside the Morgan Avenue train station.
- An assault on January 1, 2021, at approximately 8:35 p.m., inside the Morgan Avenue train station.
- An assault on January 2, 2021, at approximately 9:50 p.m., inside the Morgan Avenue train station.
- An assault on January 4, 2021, at approximately 5:10 p.m., inside a smoke shop located at 12 Wilson Avenue.
Paralegal Michael Chung of the District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Bureau assisted in the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adriana Rodriguez, Deputy Chief of the Blue Zone Trial Bureau (formerly of the District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Bureau) and Senior Assistant District Attorney Sharmalee Brooks-Gordon, of the Hate Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kelli Muse, Chief of the Hate Crimes Bureau.
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