BLOOMINGTON – On Wednesday, during a hearing in US District Court, 57-year-old Billie Davis was found competent to stand trial.
Davis, who is facing a federal hate crime charge, is accused of stabbing an 18-year-old Asian IU student in the head as she exited a bus in Bloomington in January 2023. She is facing a federal hate crime
On Wednesday, Forensic Psychologist Lesli Johnson testified that Davis’ mental state has improved, and she is now competent to stand trial. While incarcerated, Davis was prescribed Abilify, an antipsychotic medication, among other medications, helping her psychosis subside.
According to court documents, Johnson spent five hours interviewing Davis during her six-week stay at a federal detention center in Houston, Texas. Johnson said Davis has borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder.
Johnson testified Davis understands how the court system works and will be able to assist federal public defender Leslie Wine with her defense.
Davis was indicted by a federal grand jury in Evansville on April 21, 2023, on a charge of willfully causing injuries to the victim due to her race and national origin. Her lawyer argued at the time, Davis was mentally ill.
Wine said she will file a motion for a final pretrial hearing on February 22, explaining she and the federal prosecutor are discussing a possible plea agreement to avoid a trial. If they do not reach a plea deal, the trial will occur on March 11.
The Crime
On Jan. 11 at 4:45 p.m., officers with the Bloomington Police Department responded to a report of an assault that had just occurred on a Bloomington Transit bus.
The assault reportedly occurred when the bus stopped at the intersection of West 4th Street and the B-Line Trail.
A witness who had been on the bus at the time followed Davis on foot and provided responding officers with updated locations until officers arrived in the area and detained Davis.
The victim reported to investigators that she had been riding the Bloomington Transit bus and had stood up to exit the bus on 4th Street at the B-Line Trail. She said that as she was standing and waiting for the bus doors to open, another passenger on the bus began to strike her repeatedly in the head, which resulted in immediate pain. She was transported by ambulance to IU Health Bloomington Hospital for treatment.
Davis also exited the bus and began to walk toward Kirkwood Avenue. She was detained and transported to the Monroe County Jail.
Later, once the victim’s wounds had been cleaned at the hospital, it was determined that the victim had multiple stab wounds to her head.
Investigators were able to access camera footage from inside the bus, which captured the assault. The footage showed that Davis and the victim had no interactions before Davis stabbed her multiple times in the head as the victim waited for the bus doors to open.
