Former UW student was convicted with four counts of assault charges on Monday for the stabbing of an instructor and two students during a gender-studies class last June. Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, 24, pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated assault, one charge of assault causing bodily harm, and one charge of assault with a weapon.
The conviction brings a sense of closure to the Waterloo community, especially the students. “I’m relieved,” said Millicent Kusi-Aqua, a kinesiology student at WLU. “No one should feel unsafe just going to class and learning about something they’re interested in.”
The incident occurred on June 28, 2023 in Hagey Hall, with police labeling it as a “hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity.” About 40 students were present in the classroom when the attack took place, and the three victims were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. In response to the incident, UW has removed class locations and professor names from its online course listings to prevent similar hate crimes in the future.
Villalba-Aleman had been facing charges of attempted murder, mischief under $5,000, and terrorism charges. Sentencing will take place in October.
Monday’s resolution of the case, with Villalba-Aleman’s guilty plea and subsequent conviction, marks a critical moment of accountability and justice for those affected.
