Victims share impact of University of Waterloo stabbing spree at attacker's sentencing hearing

Geovanny Villalba-Aleman’s sentencing hearing got underway Monday with victim impact statements from the three people he stabbed on June 28, 2023.

Villalba-Aleman previously pled guilty to four assault-related charges for the University of Waterloo attack. He admitted to going into a gender studies classroom and stabbing the professor and two students with a large kitchen knife. Audio of the attack, along with video of the aftermath and Villalba-Aleman’s confession, were previously submitted into evidence at his June 2024 plea hearing.

At the time of the attack, Villalba-Aleman was a 24-year-old international student who had recently graduated from the university.

Professor’s statement

Katy Fulfer was the gender studies professor who Villalba-Aleman attacked. Her injuries included slashes to her hand, bicep and nose.

“[The] most painful thing I ever experienced,” she explained at Monday’s hearing, of the stitches required on her nose.

Fulfer also shared with the court the lasting impact of the attack.

“In the aftermath, my sleep was disrupted,” she said. “Sometimes I would wake up, face soaked in tears from crying in my sleep.”

She keeps replaying the events of that day.

“[I] thought about what I could have done differently and the shame around the cowardice I felt.”

Fulfer said she’s still experiencing nightmares and worries about a different outcome.

“If a firearm had been used, I would likely have been dead.”

The attack has also impacted her career. She told the court it changed her ability to be an effective teacher in a classroom full of students.

“[I’m] surveilling [the room],” Fulfer explained. “Feeling suspicious of people trying to enter the class.”

She said she can’t teach with her back to the entrance and hasn’t been able to return to the classroom where the stabbing happened.

Fulfer also expressed concerns about the people praising Villalba-Aleman’s actions.

“It normalized anti-queer, anti-trans violence at the university,” she said, adding she “fears others may be emboldened. That others may do the same.”

More victim impact statements

The court also received written victim impact statements from the students who were attacked.

They spoke about the long-lasting effect of the stabbing, including the difficulty they experienced in returning to school and a normal life.

What’s next

Five days have been set aside for the sentencing phase, which are expected to include a report from a forensic psychologist who examined Villalba-Aleman, sentencing submissions and arguments from federal Crown prosecutors in relation to a separate terrorism charge.

Since Villalba-Aleman was an international student, it’s possible he’ll be deported to his home country.