A jury has found John Lee Cowell guilty of murder. The case grabbed national attention when Cowell, who is white, randomly stabbed 18-year-old Nia Wilson (a black woman) to death on a commuter train platform in July of 2018.
According to ABC7, Wilson’s murder was believed to be racially motivated, which prompted numerous rallies and vigils throughout the surrounding San Francisco Bay area.
Cowell, 29, attacked Wilson at the MacArthur Bart station in Oakland while she was returning home with her two sisters. He was also found guilty of attempted murder in the stabbing of Wilson’s sister, Letifah Wilson, who survived her injuries.
Cowell reportedly has a history of violence and mental illness. During his trial, his defense team claimed that Cowell had been punched in the face by a Black woman about a week prior to stabbing Wilson. The prosecution also questioned him about his efforts to pick a fight with another black woman after Wilson’s attack.
Cowell followed the Wilson sisters from the platform onto their train for the 30-minute ride to another station where they were about to transfer and stabbed the women just as they were about to board the next train.
Video surveillance from the station showed Cowell following the women and removing a knife he had hidden in his pants just before the attack.
Cowell’s lawyers argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming the stabbing was a “rash act” stemming from his mental illness.
During his trial, he was thrown out of court twice for disruptive behavior, and he actually testified that he believed the sisters were aliens and part of a gang who had kidnapped his grandmother. His antics delayed the trial, but the judge ultimately ruled that he was fit to stand trial after noting that Cowell had refused to cooperate with the doctors who tried to evaluate him.
A separate sanity phase will begin on Wednesday to decide if he was legally sane at the time of the attack, this will ultimately help to determine whether he will be sentenced to a state mental hospital instead of prison.
