A 57-year-old woman who repeatedly stabbed a Chinese college student in the head, has been sentenced on federal hate crime charges.
Billie Davis of Bloomington, Indiana, was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana.
Davis pleaded guilty to willfully causing bodily injury to a victim with a knife because the victim was of Chinese descent.
The incident began on Jan. 11, 2023 after the 18-year-old victim, who was enrolled at Indiana University, was riding the Bloomington Transit bus when Davis boarded and sat behind her. When the woman rose to exit the bus, Davis pulled a folding knife from her pocket and began stabbing her in the head. The student was stabbed seven to ten times. The student got off the bus, screaming in pain.
Davis sat back down and continued riding the bus, according to the Attorney's office. Other passengers began to confront her, and when she exited the bus, one of the other passengers followed her, continuing to confront her about the stabbing. Davis used racist slurs and said the student posed a threat because she was Asian.
When police arrived, Davis described the victim to police as "some Asian f*cking c*nt" and said she attacked the victim because she was of Chinese descent and so after the stabbing, there was "one less enemy."
"Racially motivated violence has no place in our society," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This defendant targeted a young woman, who was simply riding a public bus to school, solely because she was Chinese. The sentence imposed for these vicious hate crimes should send a strong message that perpetrators of hate-fueled violence will be held accountable. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes wherever they occur in our country."
Davis' attack resulted in numerous wounds and cuts that required medical attention, including sutures and staples.
"Violent hate should have no safe harbor in Indiana or anywhere in our great country," said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
"In recent years, we've sadly seen an increase of bias crimes targeting people of Asian descent, and the serious federal prison sentence imposed here should demonstrate our commitment to stopping this hate."
