Beacon Hill Sexual Assault Suspect Convicted of Rape in in 1998

The man police arrested in connection with the Nov. 10 rape of a Beacon Hill woman is a convicted rapist already facing charges for failing to register as a sex offender, according to the district attorney's office. 

Boston police announced Tuesday afternoon that they arrested Anthony Williams, 45, of Boston, on a charge of rape and receiving stolen property. Williams is expected to be arraigned on the charges Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court.

Police say that around 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 10 Williams followed a woman to her home near Joy and Myrtle streets, flashed what appeared to be a knife and raped her inside her home.

District Attorney Press Secretary Jake Wark said that Williams was convicted of rape in 1998 in Essex County (north of Boston), for which he was released in 2009. He currently has open cases in Boston charging him with failure to register as a sex offender and assault and battery. He is classed as a Level 3 Sex Offender, meaning he's in the category deemed at "high risk" to re-offend. 

The Boston Herald is reporting that Williams was arrested at his mother's house in Dorchester, and that the surveillance images police released to the public of the suspect using the victim's ATM card shortly after the attack played a role in Williams' identification. 

Earlier this month at a Beacon Hill community meeting, downtown commander Capt. Tom Lee said that the public has been very cooperative in sending in private videos from cameras facing out from their homes and businesses.

Since the attack, finding the suspect has been a top priority at the police department. "Detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit have been working around the clock on this case," Lee said at the meeting.