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 was handed down by the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana and 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, 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.
After being arrested and while being interviewed by the Bloomington Police Department, she again called the woman a racial slur and said she attacked the victim because she was of Chinese descent so that there was “one less enemy.”
“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 Robert 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.”
