NORWICH – A man previously convicted of killing a Norwich High School student in 1975 is on trial for a sex attack on a disabled woman in Norwich in 2021.

About 11 months ago, on the morning of May 26, 2021, the City of Norwich Police were dispatched to an emergency call by a local grocery store. Detective Sergeant Reuben Roach said a physically and mentally disabled woman had come into the store pleading for help because she had just escaped a sex attack.

A few hours later police arrested Stephen Dale Pierce, 67, of Norwich, and charged him in relation to the case. They said following an investigation they determined Pierce picked the victim up and took her to a parking lot and attacked her.

“It was reported that the victim had initially entered the suspect’s vehicle while on Birdsall Street. The suspect drove the victim to a parking lot in the City of Norwich, where he proceeded to assault the victim. The suspect refused to allow the victim to exit the vehicle, then drove to a second parking lot in the City of Norwich. While in the second parking lot, the victim was able to escape and ran to the local business,” said City of Norwich Police Chief Rodney Marsh at the time of Pierce's arrest.

“The victim and Mr. Pierce were acquaintances and were familiar with each other,” said Marsh. “The Officers and Detective Sgt. did an excellent job of taking Mr. Pierce into custody in such a short time.”

Pierce is charged with first degree sexual abuse, a felony. He is also charged with unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching, misdemeanors.

Chenango County Judge Frank B. Revoir is presiding over the case and will decide the outcome, after the defense waived a trial by jury.

Assistant District Attorney Christine Rudy is prosecuting the case and Public Defender Zachary T. Wentworth is defense counsel.

Previously, Pierce had served nearly 39 years in state prison for the 1974 murder of 16-year-old Wendy Cooper.

Following a trial in Chenango County Court, he was convicted in 1975 of murder and first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

A New York State parole board released him in July 2013 over the objections of the victim’s family members.

According to court records, in June of 1974, the then 19-year-old Pierce offered a ride to a teenager, who was on her way home to Plymouth Street.

Court documents alleged Pierce had taken Cooper to a secluded location and removed her clothing during a scuffle.

According to investigators at the time, as Pierce removed the victim's clothing she began to scream and attempted to get away, causing him to beat her to death with a rock. The cause of Cooper’s death was determined to be a blow to the head by a blunt object.

Following a three month long missing persons investigation, conducted by the Norwich Police Department, Cooper’s unclothed and badly decomposed body was discovered near a shale pit in the Town of Plymouth a few miles outside of Norwich.

The current trial is expected to end by early next week.