Rose Morat
Rose M. Morat was a New York City resident and retired telecommunications worker. On the afternoon of March 4, 2007, at the age of 101, she was viciously assaulted and mugged in the lobby of her building on the way to church. A grainy video captured the assault, during which the alleged attacker, Jack Rhodes, 44, struck her several times in the face. The video incited outrage among New Yorkers. A substantial reward was offered by several sources, including the police, for information leading to the capture of the suspect.
As a result of Morat's assault, New York State Senator Martin Golden has introduced a bill that would make it a felony to assault anyone over 70 years old. The bill would increase the legal penalty to seven years if the victim were injured during the assault. Currently, assault is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. The bill has found support from such public figures as Senator Hillary Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
On December 2, 2009, Jack Rhodes, 47, was sentenced to 75 years in prison at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. Morat died on August 3, 2013 at the age of 107.
