The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced the arrest of 29-year-old convicted sex offender Joequarius Williams on attempted murder and robbery charges for allegedly following and attacking a woman in Germantown earlier this month.
On the night of November 5, MNPD said the victim of Williams’ alleged attack, a 25-year-old woman, was walking home to her Germantown apartment following a concert at Bridgestone Arena.
The woman reported to police she noticed the suspect following her from a distance as she walked on 3rd Avenue North near Brooklyn Bowl, and as she arrived at her apartment building and opened the lobby door, she said the suspect asked her to hold the door for him, which she did.
Once she and the suspect stepped in the elevator, the woman said the man grabbed her around the neck from behind and said he was going to kill her.
She reported losing consciousness briefly as her attacker strangled her. Once she regained consciousness, she reported her attacker was on top of her.
Once the elevator door opened, the woman reportedly managed to break free and run away from her attacker, who took her keys and cell phone.
Police said officers recovered the woman’s keys and cell phone outside the apartment building and processed them for fingerprints, which identified Williams as the suspect. Further, the victim was able to identify Williams from a photo lineup.
On Tuesday, MNPD said its Special Victims detectives took Williams into custody for the November 5 attack.
Currently housed at the Maximum Correctional Facility, Williams is being held on a $10.1 million bond.
MNPD said Williams was convicted of aggravated assault and attempted forcible rape of a 27-year-old woman from an August 2019 incident at a Glastonbury Road apartment complex, which resulted in him being sentenced to probation and placed on Tennessee’s sex offender registry.
Probation violation warrants are expected to be filed by the state, MNPD added.
Williams’ case caught the attention of U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), who said the convicted sex offender “should’ve never walked free” following his 2019 rape conviction.
The congressman also furthered his call for the National Guard to be deployed to Music City to combat such crimes.
“If convicted, [Williams] must ride the lightning. Mayor O’Connell is leading Nashville into anarchy. SEND IN THE GUARD,” Ogles said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
