Man Sentenced in Violent Rape, Robbery in E. Garden City Following Sandy

A Hempstead man received the maximum sentence for violently raping an East Garden City woman and robbing her home soon after Hurricane Sandy struck, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Artie Jackson, 48, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Thursday by Judge Angelo Delligatti, the DA said.

Jackson was found guilty in October of 18 felony charges including rape, attempted murder, and strangulation after a month-long trial.

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.

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“Artie Jackson committed horrific crimes against his victim that defy comprehension in their savagery and brutality, and as a result, terrorized an entire community still struggling to recover from a historic storm,” DA Kathleen Rice said in a statement. “Though nothing will erase the fear and panic experienced by the victim that night, it’s my deepest hope that today’s sentence will allow her to find some peace in the knowledge that this man, who has caused so much pain for so many, will no longer be able to hurt anyone else for the foreseeable future.”

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.

Photo: Artie Jackson. Credit: NCPD

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