Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 25 years in prison for trying to kill ex-girlfriend in 2022

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge sentenced a Cedar Rapids man to 25 years in prison Friday for attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend by slitting her throat and stabbing her twice in the back during an argument in 2022.

Nickie Ray Williams (51), Found guilty by jury in August Attempted murder and intentional wounding causing serious injury (both felonies) and assault with a dangerous weapon in domestic violence and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime are both aggravated misdemeanors.

Williams faced up to 39 years in prison, but 6th District Judge Christopher Bruns gave him concurrent sentences totaling 25 years because of his age, history and because the judge believed he was not at risk of reoffending.

Williams has a long history of assaults – 13 in 30 years – one of which involved the same victim as in this case, 38-year-old Marquita Robertson Lee, and one of the previous victims was a minor whom he threatened to kill.

There was no contact ban against Williams in this case.

Linn County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Molly Edwards argued at the hearing for a consecutive sentence due to the “extreme violence” of the crime committed on July 21, 2022. The cut on Robertson Lee’s throat exposed his larynx and the stab wound was life-threatening. It entered his lungs. He spent 45 days in the hospital and his left lung had to be evacuated. He noted that he also received other medical care following his hospital stay.

“He thought he was going to die,” Edwards said. “The defendant thought he was dead” and left the scene.

Edwards said that after the no-contact order was imposed, Williams threatened to kill the woman.

Williams’ attorney, Nekeidra Tucker, asked the judge for concurrent sentences, citing much of Williams’ criminal history as a result of alcohol use. Williams is not the same person as the person under the influence of alcohol.

As a young man, Williams went to college to play basketball, and when his girlfriend became pregnant, he dropped out to support her and start a family, Tucker said. He always helped others, friends and neighbors when they needed help, even paying their bills and making sure they had a place to stay.

Williams declined to comment during the sentencing.

Robertson Lee did not attend sentencing to make a victim impact statement.

Judge Bruns said Williams must serve 70 percent of the 25 years before being eligible for parole. He also imposed a five-year victim no-contact order against Williams.

The hearing also included the victim’s testimony instead of in-person testimony.

Robertson Lee did not show up and the judge let Edwards off Using Lee’s testimony at trial rather than his in-person testimony.

Edwards has previously said that using testimony at trial is “pretty rare” in criminal cases because most witnesses are present and often not all witnesses are deposed before trial.

There have been times in the past when a witness was not available and there was no transcript to read into the record. recent Curtis Padgett caseFollowing Williams’ conviction in August, Edwards noted: In the first-degree murder trial, prosecutors said Padgett confessed to three witnesses, but the witnesses died before trial.

In his statement, Robertson Lee said: “After he cut my neck I felt my blood dripping, it was hot so I quickly grabbed him and then he switched hands with the knife. So the knife was now in his left hand and he was still very close to me and he stabbed me in my left side. I couldn’t breathe and felt like I was going to fall.” “I remember, but he was holding me. Then he turned the knife and put it in his right hand and stabbed me in my right side, letting me fall.”

Robertson Lee’s deposition statement was also corroborated by Williams’ call to 911; “I stabbed Marquita Robertson,” Williams admitted to the officer, Edwards said. This was confirmed by the police investigation and medical statements.

“Police responded to the scene and found him lying in the doorway of the residence with actively bleeding wounds,” Edwards said. “There was a bloody knife on the ground next to his feet.”

According to trial testimony, Robertson Lee had three wounds, one on his neck and two on his back. One of the wounds on his back caused a hemopneumothorax; The air and blood in his chest cavity put pressure around his lungs, causing him to have difficulty breathing.

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