An Ontario court has found that an attack at a University of Waterloo gender studies class nearly two years ago was not terrorism but constituted a “particularly grave” hate crime. The judge sentencing Geovanny Villalba-Aleman says that hatred was “the primary motivation” for the June 2023 stabbing, which is a significant aggravating factor. More coming.
An Ontario judge sentenced Geovanny Villalba-Aleman to 11 years in prison for the 2023 University of Waterloo gender studies class stabbing, ruling it a hate crime motivated by hatred toward the LGBTQ+ community, but not an act of terrorism. The judge found the attack was pre-planned and intended to draw widespread attention. The victim, Professor Katy Fulfer, required reconstructive surgery and expressed feeling unsafe since the attack. Villalba-Aleman, an international student, will face deportation upon release.
