Queens Man Convicted in Violent Mugging of Woman, 101

A New York City man was convicted of hate crimes Tuesday in connection with a series of muggings that included an assault on a centenarian on her way to church.

A jury deliberated less than a day before convicting Jack Rhodes of victimizing three women, including Rose Morat, who is now 103.

Rhodes, 47, could face up to up to 90 years in prison when he is sentenced on robbery, burglary and assault charges.
     
Rhodes was accused of attacking three women in Queens -- one of whom was 101 years of age at the time of the attack and  another of whom is in her mid-eighties.
     
Morat, who was punched in the face and robbed of $23, said she feels "sorry for people who do things like that."

Defense attorney Paul Montgomery questioned eyewitness accounts and suggested that police and prosecutors were trying to frame Rhodes.
    
Assistant District Attorney Eugene Reibstein says witnesses clearly saw Rhodes' face during the midday robbery in 2007.
    
It's Rhodes' second trial. The first ended in a mistrial.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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