BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — An Indiana woman who violently attacked a college student of Chinese descent was sentenced to six years in federal prison for committing a hate crime.
Billie Davis, 57, of Bloomington pleaded guilty in September to the racially motivated attack. A judge handed down the six-year sentence on Wednesday.
Previous stories detail the vicious attack that occurred on Jan. 11, 2023. Davis was sitting behind an 18-year-old Indiana University student of Chinese descent on a Bloomington bus when she suddenly pulled out a folding knife and stabbed the student seven to 10 times in the head.
The student had been on her way to school and was targeted by Davis due to her race.
Davis used racial slurs to refer to the victim and called the student "the enemy."
Fortunately, the student survived the brutal attack.
“Every person deserves to feel safe in their own community, and no one should be made to fear violence on their way to school simply because of who they are,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana. “Violent hate should have no safe harbor in Indiana or anywhere in our great country."
While a federal hate crime could carry a maximum prison term of life behind bars, Davis was not hit with the full extent of the penalty. A judge handed down only a 72-month sentence for Davis followed by three years on supervised release.
“The Justice Department is committed to protecting every American from hate crimes by investigating and vigorously prosecuting those who carry out such heinous attacks," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.