Ex-UK student Sophia Rosing sentenced to jail for racist attack on Black student

The former University of Kentucky student who was banned from campus for a racist attack on a Black student has been sentenced to one year in jail.

Sophia Rosing, 23, physically assaulted and hurled racial slurs at a student desk clerk, Kylah Spring , who is Black, in November 2022. Video of Rosing’s attack and arrest went viral, made headlines around the world and put a spotlight on UK.

Rosing previously pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of public intoxication, according to her attorney, Fred Peters.

Fayette Circuit Judge Lucy VanMeter sentenced Rosing to 12 months in the Fayette County Detention Center, 100 hours of community service and a $25 fine.

Peters said he felt the sentence was “excessive.”

“What she said was awful,” Peters said. “She got into a scuffle with the clerk and bit people on the hand; I think she did not deserve a sentence of 12 months in prison for the very first offense her in life.”

She will be in protective custody at the Fayette County Detention Center due to the nature of her offenses, Peters said.

“It was not a good day for Sophia Rosing,” he added.

Rosing was initially charged with first and second offenses of public intoxication, third-degree assault of a police officer, fourth-degree assault and second-degree disorderly conduct. She posted a $10,000 bond the next night and was released.

A grand jury indicted Rosing in February 2023 , and soon after she entered a plea of not guilty.

What happened the night of the attack

Rosing, a white student, entered Boyd Hall and began taunting, using racial slurs and making derogatory comments toward Spring. After police arrived, Rosing continued using slurs, resisted arrest and bit a police officer, according to the arrest report.

The video of the incident was captured and shared on social media. It showed an intoxicated Rosing spouting racial slurs hundreds of times in 10 minutes. Rosing subsequently attacked a police officer who was called to the scene to assist, according to the police report.

The university banned Rosing from campus , and she withdrew from UK shortly after being arrested. Rosing was quickly terminated from her job at Dillard’s, according to the company, and lost a social media partnership.

A march was held on UK’s campus after the incident, where hundreds of students gathered to support Spring, making a call for unity and insisting UK act.

In December 2022, Spring appeared on CBS mornings, which she said opened her eyes to the frequency of racism in America.

“It’s changed my outlook on how often that 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.”