Quincy man who raped 65-year-old woman and attacked two other women in South End sentenced to 12 years in prison

A Quincy man who kidnapped and raped a 65-year-old woman on a South End street last summer and attempted to rape two other women within 90 minutes has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Amos F. Sykes, 36, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court on Monday to 10 counts, including two counts of aggravated rape, for attacking the woman on Appleton Street around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2023, court records show. She is identified as QG in court records.

“As she was walking down the street, the defendant approached QG from behind and grabbed her,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden’s office wrote in a statement about the case. “QG began screaming for help, at which point the defendant covered her mouth, making it difficult for her to breathe. The defendant then pushed her to the ground, causing QG to strike her head on the pavement.”

Sykes is said to have raped the woman twice and only stopped when a passerby noticed what was happening and told him he wanted to call the police.

Sykes had previously grabbed a woman from behind as she walked through an alley between Shawmut Avenue and Washington Street and threatened to kill her with a knife. according to court records. The woman was identified in court records as HK.

“Don’t scream, don’t make a noise, don’t try to get anyone’s attention or I’ll stick this knife in your (expletive) throat,” Sykes is said to have told her, according to prosecutors.

Sykes dragged the woman to a parking lot near 50 Herald Street, prosecutors wrote.

“As she was dragging HK to the parking lot, she saw two people and screamed, causing (Sykes) to cover his mouth. HK bit him and he threw her to the ground, causing her head to hit the asphalt,” prosecutors wrote. “The two grappled and (Sykes) punched HK in the face… HK was eventually able to escape the defendant and run away.”

After attacking the 65-year-old, Sykes attacked a third woman as she walked home on Columbus Avenue around 9:30 p.m. The woman was identified in court documents as MS.

“He put her in a chokehold and began to drag her toward Crite Park,” prosecutors wrote. Sykes then “began to punch MS repeatedly in the face, forcing her to the ground. (Sykes) caused MS to slam her head into the pavement.”

When passersby saw the attack, Sykes tried to get them to leave by claiming he was attacking “his baby’s mama.” Sykes ripped some of the woman’s clothing off before a passerby intervened, prosecutors said.

In August, the Globe reported on South End resident Sam Holder’s reaction when he heard the woman screaming outside his apartment and rushed outside to pull the attacker, later identified as Sykes, away from the woman.

On Monday, Sykes appeared before Superior Court Judge Christopher P. Belezos. In addition to the two counts of aggravated rape, Sykes also pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping, two counts of asphyxiation or strangulation, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to rape, assault on a person over 60 and assault on a person over 60 with a dangerous weapon.

He was sentenced to 12 to 16 years in prison, with credit for the 310 days he spent in custody, records show. He is currently being held at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, the state’s only maximum security prison.

“It is difficult to comprehend the brutality of these stranger attacks or to overstate the shock and fear these three women suffered at the hands of this man,” Hayden said in a statement. “As tragic as this day was for our city, it was also marked by the bravery of the victims, the courage of the witnesses and, of course, the selfless act of the Good Samaritan.”

John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe.