Murder of Yue Jiang

On January 16, 2016, Yue Jiang (), a 19-year-old Chinese student at Arizona State University (ASU), was fatally shot in Tempe, Arizona, after a minor traffic collision. Holly Davis, whose car had struck the rear of Jiang's car at a red light, approached the driver's side and fired several times. Jiang, who had been hit three times, attempted to drive away but collided with an oncoming vehicle. She died at a hospital. Six other people sustained injuries in the incident.

Davis fled but was arrested later that day. She was initially charged with first-degree murder and thirteen other offenses. In 2018, she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under an agreement requiring a 25-year prison term. Jiang's family opposed the agreement and unsuccessfully asked the judge to reject it. Davis was sentenced to 25 years without the possibility of early release on June 15, 2018.

Victim

Jiang was from Chongqing, China. She moved to Arizona in fall 2014, initially studying English before entering ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business in spring 2015. At the time of her death, she was a sophomore majoring in finance. Her father said that she had chosen to study in the United States and had received a full scholarship.

Shooting

At approximately 2:40 p.m. on January 16, Jiang was driving a Mercedes with a 21-year-old male passenger after a shopping trip. She stopped at a red light near Broadway Road and McClintock Drive, where her vehicle was rear-ended by a Volkswagen Passat driven by Davis. When Jiang's passenger got out to inspect the damage, he saw that Davis had a gun and returned to Jiang's car. Authorities said that Jiang and her passenger did not know Davis and that no words or confrontation preceded the shooting.

Davis left her car, walked to the driver's side of Jiang's vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking Jiang three times. Wounded, Jiang drove away in an attempt to escape but crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle carrying a pregnant woman and three children. Jiang was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Her passenger and the five occupants of the other vehicle were injured, although none of the five suffered serious injuries.

Investigation and prosecution

Witnesses recorded the Passat's license-plate number, allowing police to trace it to an apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona. Police said that Davis parked the car away from her residence, hid the handgun beneath it, washed the clothes she had been wearing and showered. Officers arrested her at the apartment later that day. Investigators found a note Davis had written before leaving home that indicated she expected to appear in the news. Davis told police that she was depressed and wanted to be killed by law enforcement, although she denied involvement in the shooting. Tempe police later described the killing to concerned Chinese students as a random act of violence rather than a hate crime.

Davis pleaded not guilty in February 2016 to 14 counts, including first-degree murder, aggravated assault, weapons misconduct, endangerment and disorderly conduct. Her bond was set at $1.5 million. In February 2018, she agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and accept a mandatory 25-year sentence.

Jiang's relatives said that they learned of the agreement through news reports rather than from prosecutors. They traveled from China and asked Maricopa County Superior Court judge Warren Granville to reject it, arguing that Davis should be tried for first-degree murder and receive a life sentence. The county attorney's office responded that prosecutors had considered the family but also had to weigh the practical circumstances of the case. Granville accepted the agreement. On June 15, 2018, Davis apologized in court and was sentenced to 25 years in prison without eligibility for early release, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder under the agreement.

ASU president Michael M. Crow subsequently wrote to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery that the sentence had underscored the family's concern that the reduced charge and punishment did not honor Jiang's memory, and said the university shared that concern.

Community response

More than 100 students and local residents attended a vigil near the site of the killing on January 18, 2016. Mourners left flowers, candles and some of Jiang's favorite foods at a roadside memorial. At a later campus meeting, Chinese international students raised concerns about their safety and the possibility of racial targeting. Tempe police said that the shooting was random and advised students about available safety resources.

See also

• Road rage