In an extreme example of road rage following a minor accident which occurred in Phoenix, Arizona on January 16, 2016, 34-year-old Holly Davis pulled out a gun and shot Chinese exchange student Yue Jiang. According to MSN, Davis was initially charged with first-degree murder following the incident, but then later confessed to the reduced crime of second-degree murder after her attorneys reached a plea bargain with the prosecution.
On Friday, Judge Warren J. Granville of the Maricopa County court, sentenced Davis to 25 years in prison. At the sentencing, a noticeably distraught and tearful Davis apologized for her actions and begged for forgiveness from the victim's family.
According to AZCentral.com, Davis said: “No words can express how sorry I am. ... I will live with this for the rest of my life. If I can change it, I would. If I can take her place, I would."
Davis' pleas were not accepted by the Yue family, some of whom flew all the way from China to Arizona in order to attend the sentencing. The victim's cousin, Katherine Xu, told Davis in court that she was "inhuman" and "deserved death." MSN reports that, in defense of his client, attorney Alan Tassavoli claimed that Davis had been abused and addicted to drugs for most of her life. He also said that, at the time of the accident, Davis was homeless.
The accident
The killing occurred in suburban Phoenix not far from Broadway Road and McClintock Drive.
On January 16, Jiang was driving with her boyfriend when Davis rear-ended her. Then, according to AZCentral.com, Davis got out of her car and shot Jiang to death. This caused Jiang's car to move into oncoming traffic. This second collision injured five people. There has been very little word about what happened to Jiang's boyfriend during the altercation with Davis.
Jiang's father decided to attend the sentencing hearing for Davis, but family members said that he left early because hearing his daughter's death described was too painful for him. AZCentral.com reported that Judge Granville said that what Davis did was "monstrous," but that she herself was not a monster. The victim's family is currently demanding a harsher sentence for Davis given the wanton nature of her act.
Davis' 25-year sentence will include time already served. Since Davis spent 881 days in prison during her trial and sentencing hearing, these days will be taken from her 25-year sentence. Therefore, Davis will serve approximately 23 years behind bars.
