Columbia man going to prison after violent home invasion, prosecutor says
A Columbia man is going to prison for decades following a violent home invasion where he targeted his ex, the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Thursday.
On Wednesday, a Richland County jury convicted 50-year-old William Rivers Jr. on first-degree assault and battery as well as first-degree burglary charges, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.
Rivers, who has twice been previously convicted on domestic violence charges, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Judge Robert Hood, according to the release.
The home invasion happened Nov. 7, 2019, in a gated Windermere subdivision in Blythewood, the solicitor’s office said.
Shortly after returning to her home from dinner, the female victim and her friend were startled by what sounded like an explosion in the garage, followed by the sound of someone hammering and kicking the door that led into the home, according to the release.
The woman called 911 before hearing another crash at her backdoor, as Rivers had smashed through a glass door and entered the home armed with two hammers, the solicitor’s office said.
The woman had previously ended a two-year relationship with Rivers, according to the release.
Rivers chased the woman through the first floor and up the stairs to the second floor, the solicitor’s office said.
The victim’s friend temporarily subdued Rivers while the woman ran to her bedroom and then to her bathroom where she locked the door, according to the release.
Rivers freed himself and smashed through both the bedroom and bathroom doors with his hammers, the solicitor’s office said.
As he confronted the woman, who was then hiding in her closet, he raised a hammer over her in a threatening manner before her friend again subdued Rivers, preventing him from inflicting any serious injury, according to the release.
Rivers was arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, which led an investigation, the solicitor’s office said.
First Assistant Solicitor Dale Scott and Assistant Solicitor Michael Bradbury prosecuted the case for the solicitor’s office. Jack Swerling and Alissa Leigh Wilson were listed as Rivers’ attorneys, according to Richland County court records.
Rivers’ previous convictions on domestic violence charges were in 1999 and 2007, court records show.
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This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 12:08 PM.
