Woman who killed Chinese student gets lowered charge

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American woman Holly Davis, who fatally shot a 19-year-old Chinese exchange student Jiang Yue after a rear-end car crash, was sentenced to a 25-year term in prison on June 15 with no possibility of early release, according The Paper.

Davis pleaded guilty of second-degree murder on April 3 under a plea agreement honored by the judge that lowered her initial charge of first-degree murder to second-degree, even though the family of Jiang Yue strongly opposed.

Holly Davis leaving the court /Xinhua Photo

Jiang’s family, who traveled to Arizona from China, expressed concerns about the judge’s decision. They had urged the judge to reject Davis’s pursuit of the plea deal, which was to reduce the killer’s charge in exchange for less term in prison.

However, despite the Jiang family’s strong opposition, Judge Warrin Grandville agreed to the plea deal offered to Davis, lowering the charge from first-degree to second-degree murder. “I don’t find you a monster, but what you did was monstrous. It was senseless, and it was cruel,” Judge Granville said.

If charged with first-degree murder, Davis might face life-sentence or death penalty; however, with a second-degree murder charge, her sentence might be reduced to ten to 25 years – the maximum possible for second-degree murder, according to Californian lawyer Deng Hong.

Jiang Yue's family traveled to Arizona for the court hearing while dealing with tremendous grieve. /Xinhua Photo

The South China Morning Post cited Jiang’s family saying the plea agreement demeaned the young girl's life, and that Davis should serve life in prison.

"Such a decision and the approval of the plea bargain cannot be, and is not reasonable and not fair," said family member Katherine Xu. "We, the Jiang family and our 10,000 supporters, do not believe it is acceptable to the legal system."

Jiang’s father, due to too much pain, was not able to appear for the hearing according to a family member.

Jiang, a Chinese exchange student on a scholarship to study business at Arizona State University, was a hard worker and made her family proud, her cousin Xu told the court during the sentencing.

Jiang was driving her car when she was rear-ended by Davis in Tempe, Arizona on Jan. 16, 2016. Jiang’s boyfriend, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, saw Davis get out of her car, walk up to the driver’s side and shoot Jiang several times, Tempe police authorities said.

The cousin of Jiang Yue speaks at a memorial in Arizona in June. /AP Photo

The shooter fatally wounded Jiang and injured six others by making a U-turn when she tried to flee and collided with an oncoming car, according to Tempe police spokeswoman.

Davis was arrested later. She was initially charged with first-degree murder but denied the shooting at first. However, she later had told authorities that if she had done it, it was because she was depressed and wanted police to kill her, prosecutors said.

During the hearing, Davis cried in court and said she is sorry and wishes she could take it back or take Jiang's place, Houston Chronicle reports.

Davis’s lawyer said she had experienced a lifetime of tragedy and abuse and had been homeless and addicted to drugs. “Her life is a prime example of what drugs do,” the lawyer said.