ASU student charged with unprovoked knife attack on classmate, pleads not guilty

PHOENIX (TNND) – Kaci Sloan, the Arizona State University (ASU) student charged in the unprovoked stabbing attack on her classmate on Sept. 19, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s plea came after Sloan was originally charged with four charges related to the incident, including attempted first-degree murder. The 19-year-old now only faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct with a weapon.

ASU police told the National News Desk (TNND) that the agency has filed a complaint with the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office regarding the alleged stabbing.

According to the Arizona Republic, prosecutors accused Sloan of stabbing Mara Daffron with a mating knife as the victim entered a co-ed class at ASU’s West Valley campus. Court documents say the attack ruptured Daffron’s spleen, requiring surgery, the release said.

According to reports, Sloan was unprovoked and stabbed her classmate without “saying a word.” FOX 10 Phoenix reported that Sloan considered Daffron an easier target than another person she was considering, a veteran.

According to the Arizona Republic, after the stabbing, two witnesses took a knife from Sloan and held her while others tended to Daffron. Daffron was reportedly in stable condition following the incident and told authorities she did not know Sloan or understand why she was stabbed.

The Arizona Republic wrote that Sloan told ASU police she went into the classroom to hurt someone and began planning the knife attack the previous night because she believed it would make all the problems go away. She had previously thought about hurting people but was “disgusted” by it, the publication continued.

An ASU spokesperson previously told TNND that the university’s thoughts were with everyone affected by the incident.

“ASU and the entire ASU West Valley campus community are deeply saddened by what happened. “ASU West Valley is a close-knit community of students, faculty and staff,” the spokesperson said. “We are deeply grateful to all those who responded quickly to intervene and provide assistance.”

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