A Bloomington woman has been charged with a federal hate crime after allegedly stabbing an 18-year-old Asian IU student Jan. 11.
Billie Davis, 56, was indicted by a federal grand jury, according to documents from the U.S. District Court in Evansville. Davis also faces state charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon, and her trial in Bloomington is set for June.
On Jan. 11, Davis and the victim, who is from Carmel, were on Bloomington Transit Bus 1777 which stopped at the intersection of West Fourth Street and the B-line trail. According to a probable cause affidavit, security footage from the bus showed Davis unfolding a folding knife as the victim stood to exit the bus. As she waited for the doors to open, Davis allegedly stood up from her seat and stabbed the victim on the top of the head about seven times.
After allegedly striking the student, Davis put the knife back in her pocket and returned to her bus seat, according to the affidavit. When she exited the bus, she headed toward Kirkwood Avenue. A witness on the bus followed Davis on foot, providing officers with updates on her location until Davis was found and taken into custody. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment, where doctors found she had multiple stab wounds to the head.
Security footage showed no prior interactions between Davis and the victim. Davis reportedly told authorities she targeted the woman because of the victim’s Asian nationality, according to the probable cause affidavit. A few days after the attack, the attorney representing Davis, Kyle Dugger, said he was seeking an insanity defense for Davis.
