12 months in jail and 100 hours of community service, that’s the sentence being asked by prosecutors for Sophia Rosing, a former University of Kentucky student who physically and verbally abused a Black female student and desk clerk for over 10 minutes in a drunken and racially charged tirade in November 2022.
“You’re an ugly n***er b*tch,” Rosing repeated hundreds of times as she pushed and attempted to hit Kylah Spring during an extended outburst that ended with security guards having to handcuff her.
Highlights
- Sophia Rosing sentenced to 12 months in jail and 100 hours of community service for racially charged assault on Kylah Spring.
- Rosing pleaded guilty to six counts, including four of assault, in a plea deal amending charges to fourth-degree-minor injury.
- Rosing suspended from University of Kentucky and permanently banned from campus, losing job and social media partnerships.
The former business major pleaded guilty on Monday (August 13) to six counts, including four assault charges, which are being amended to fourth-degree minor injury as part of a plea deal.
The resolution comes after two years of legal hearings, in which Rosing initially pleaded not guilty.
“To Miss Rosing. You will not break my spirit and you will be held accountable for your actions. I only pray that you open your heart to love and try to experience life differently and more positively,” Spring said in a speech at an anti-racism march held on the campus the day after the altercation.
Former University of Kentucky student Sophia Rosing, who physically assaulted and shouted racial slurs at a fellow student, pleads guilty and faces 12 months in jail
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As security apprehended her, she reportedly bit the officials and told them they wouldn’t be able to do anything to her because she had “lots of money” and would get “special treatment” as a result.
She was thrown in jail shortly after being charged with first and second offenses of public intoxication, third-degree assault of a police officer, fourth-degree assault, and second-degree disorderly conduct, but she was released the next night thanks to a $10,000 bond her family posted.
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The now 23-year-old Rosing would then be suspended from the University a few hours after the incident and permanently banned from entering the campus three days later.
She would also get terminated from her job at Dillard’s, a department store chain, and lose a social media influencing partnership with College Fashionista.
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In February 2023, a grand jury indicted Rosing, initiating a process in which her case would be passed on the docket five times while parties attempted to find a resolution to her case.
“She faces 12 months in jail, 100 hours of community service, and a $25 fine. A lot of things got said, apologies were made and we worked it out,” explained her attorney, Fred Peters, to the Kentucky Herald about the recent verdict.
“Her life has been on hold for the past 18 to 20 months, she has had a lot of time to think about what she has done, and she wrote a nice letter of apology.”
The racist incident was not the first time Rosing was accused of insulting or humiliating others, as she reportedly made use of her wealth to intimidate others
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Following the altercation, other students of the establishment came out to reveal she had demeaned them a year before the racist tirade by stating that she was “rich as f*** and [they were] obviously not.”
She was also accused of making the private information of a 15-year-old classmate public while they were both in high school. It allegedly included nude pictures and “proof” of an abortion, the Daily Mail states.
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On the flip side, Kylah Springs appeared on CBS mornings in December 2022, and she further shared how the incident impacted her life.
“It’s changed my outlook on how often situations like this happen,” Spring said.
“Obviously, I’ve seen things like this in the news, but you never really know how common of an occurrence it is until it happens to you.”
“It was a little bit of an eye-opening moment for me to wake up and realize what’s happening in our country to young children of color, to people of color.”
“This is a recurring issue in and across the American school system, regardless of age. I am deeply saddened by the events that took place, but I am most grateful for justice that is to come,” she stated.