Bloomington Woman Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Racially Motivated Stabbing of 18 Year old IU Student of Asian Descent

INDIANAPOLIS- Billie Davis, 57, of Bloomington, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for committing a federal hate crime. The sentence comes after Davis pleaded guilty to willfully causing bodily injury to a victim with a knife, because the victim was of Chinese descent.

According to court documents, on January 11, 2023, an 18-year-old woman of Chinese descent enrolled at Indiana University at Bloomington, was riding a Bloomington Transit bus. Davis boarded the bus and sat behind the student. As the student stood to exit the bus, Davis reached for a folding knife from inside her pocket and stabbed the student in the head approximately seven to ten times. The victim exited the bus screaming in pain. Davis' attack against the victim caused multiple stab wounds and cuts, requiring medical attention including sutures and staples.

After the attack, Davis sat back down on the bus, where she remained until other passengers confronted her. When Davis exited the bus, another passenger followed and confronted her about the stabbing. Davis used racist slurs when referring to the victim and claimed the victim posed a threat to the bus because she was Asian. Davis was arrested by Bloomington Police. Davis described the victim to police as "some Asian f*cking c*unt" and said she attacked the victim because she was of Chinese descent and so that 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."

"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 Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Violent hate should have no safe harbor in Indiana or anywhere in our great country. That's why our Department of Justice has prioritized prosecution of hate crimes and community outreach through our United Against Hate initiative. 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. Anyone who has suffered a potentially hate-based violent incident should call 911 to address immediate safety issues, and then report the event to the Department of Justice or FBI. Together we can make our community safer for everyone."

"The FBI remains committed to protecting the civil rights of all individuals and this case should serve as a reminder that hate fueled actions will not be tolerated," said FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert "Alex" Middleton. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and ensure those who perpetrate such acts of hate are held accountable."

The FBI Indianapolis Field Office and Bloomington Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Bloomington Police Department. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter A. Blackett, Trial Attorney Anita Channapati of the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section, and Trial Attorney Barry Disney of the Criminal Division's Mental Health Litigation Unit, who prosecuted the case.

If you have concerns regarding Civil Rights violations in the Southern District of Indiana, you can now report them to our office via email [email protected] or using our online form.

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