Man Found Guilty of Violent Rape, Robbery in E. Garden City Following Sandy

Photo: Artie Jackson. Credit: NCPD

A Hempstead man has been found guilty of violently raping an East Garden City woman and robbing her home soon after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Artie Jackson, 46, of Hempstead, was found guilty of 18 felony charges including rape, attempted murder, and strangulation after a month-long trial before Judge Angelo Delligatti, the DA said.

Jackson could face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 12, the DA said.

“It is every woman’s worst nightmare: To be home asleep, awakened by an intruder armed with a knife, and being forced to fight for your life,” NCDA Kathleen Rice said in a statement Monday. “In the end, this defendant failed to silence his victim, who testified in court against him, and helped convince a jury that he was indeed guilty of these brutal crimes.”

At 9:13 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2012, just two weeks after Hurricane Sandy struck, Jackson broke into an East Garden City home as the 50-year-old homeowner slept.

After wandering through the home, eating food, and rummaging through belongings, Jackson entered the victim’s bedroom with a knife. Jackson broke the woman’s nose and eye socket in a “violent struggle,” eventually trying to strangle her with a zip tie before it sliced her neck, the DA said.

Jackson raped the woman, who passed out during the attack, before dragging her down the stairs to the first floor and leaving her on the floor. The woman pretended to be dead while Jackson disabled part of the home’s alarm system and fled into a neighbor’s property.

Jackson was found guilty of three counts of predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, three counts of first degree robbery, six counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree strangulation, and first-degree sexual abuse.

Jackson also went on a burglary spree in Garden City and Hempstead in the days following Sandy, Garden City Police reported in 2012.

While much of the area was still in a blackout following Sandy, homes on Third Street in Garden City and on Bedell Avenue in Hempstead Village were burglarized. In a Bedell Avenue home, Jackson reportedly tied up a family while he burglarized the home. Cases involving those incidents, including two home invasion charges and two burglary charges, are still pending.