A Gary man could face up to 10 years after admitting to rape in a 1984 Hobart home invasion.
Joel Williams Jr., 57, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 24 before Judge Natalie Bokota.
He signed a plea deal for class B felony rape on June 15, according to court records. Bokota would have to review and accept it. It calls for an argued sentence capped at 10 years.
On March 20, 1984, three men forced their way into a home in the 2000 block of East 39th Avenue at gunpoint and raped and forced the victims inside to perform sexual acts, a probable cause affidavit states. The men “ransacked the house” and stole items, including a white 1975 Plymouth Roadrunner, according to the affidavit.
A Hobart detective resubmitted a sexual assault examination kit for testing in 2018, which resulted in a match with Williams, the affidavit states.
Williams served roughly 15 years in prison after he was convicted in Lake County in 1985 of three robberies. After he was released, Williams moved to Muncie to attend Ball State University, police said.
While living in Muncie, Williams was accused of robbing two 18-year-old girls, according to police. During the robbery, Williams “put his gun down while he was attempting to tie up one of the victims,” and “the second victim picked up the gun and shot Williams six times,” police said.
Williams survived his injuries, but he was convicted in 2002 of burglary, two counts of robbery and two counts of criminal confinement. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was released in November 2017, according to police.
