On July 22, 2018, three sisters, Nia, Letifah and Tashiya Wilson,[2] were attacked by a man wielding a knife, later identified as John Cowell, after exiting a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train at MacArthur station in Oakland, California.
Cowell had been paroled in May 2018 after serving time for second degree robbery, and had previous charges for assault and possession of methamphetamine.
Initial perception of the attack as apparently racially-motivated spurred protests at MacArthur BART station and online.
[7] Her cousin, Tijanae Lafleur, 19, has also spoken about Wilson's character and stated they had previously had a conversation on what he should do in the event that someone ever hurt her.
"[8] At a 2016 vigil for her boyfriend and his best friend, who had drowned in a reservoir, a shot was fired into the crowd of 3000 hitting 16 year old Reggin'a Jefferies in the neck.
[17][18] In 2016, Cowell had been found guilty of second degree robbery after he brandished a knife and a fake gun in a Lucky store at El Cerrito Plaza after a security guard confronted him over stealing.
[17] In 2016, Kaiser Richmond Medical Center filed a restraining order[20] against Cowell for threatening to kill one of their employees.
Later that same year, Cowell was arrested for possession of a controlled substance after he was found high on methamphetamine and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
[18] Also, in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties, Cowell's arrest record lists charges of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, vandalism and petty theft.
[24] In five days, three unrelated homicides, including Wilson's murder, occurred at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations.
[30] On the night of July 22, 2018, Nia Wilson and two of her sisters (Letifah and Tashiya), were returning from a party at their aunt's in Concord, California.
[31] At approximately 9:30 pm at MacArthur station, the perpetrator slashed Nia's throat and stabbed her older sister Letifah in the neck.
The attacker was silent and stood back watching as Nia died, while Letifah, who survived with a serious neck wound, held her.
[3] Mayor Libby Schaaf released the statement: “The fact that his victims were both young African-American women stirs deep pain and palpable fear in all of us who acknowledge the reality that our country still suffers from a tragic and deeply racist history,” while still confirming the city "has no room for hate and the city stands against racial hatred and white supremacy," but reinforced that officials have no evidence that the killing of Wilson was racially motivated.
Cowell's lawyers requested more time to review the evidence, and the plea entry date was postponed until September 14, 2018.
[43] Specifically the defense was waiting for the prosecution to release the video of the fatal stabbing in order to inform their plea.
[4] On January 5, 2023, Cowell's appeal of his life sentence was rejected by a unanimous decision by a 3-judge panel of the First Appellate District of California.
[45] The hashtag #NiaWilson, #SayHerName,[46] and #JusticeForNiaWilson went viral on Twitter July 23, 2018,[22] sparking commentary from Anne Hathaway,[47] Rose McGowan,[46] Tracee Ellis Ross, Bruno Mars,[48] Viola Davis, Common, Janelle Monáe, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
[49] Singer Kehlani called the attacker a “white supremacist.”[50] Basketball player Stephen Curry helped to raise over $21,000 during a game for young Bay Area athletes at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, California which he streamed on his Facebook page.
[54] A report by Media Matters critiqued various cable news networks for underreporting the event, oftentimes failing to even mention Wilson's name.
"[56][31] On August 2, a group of young activists gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza for an event called “Youth Speak, Adults Listen,” where they discussed feeling unsafe in public and how Nia Wilson's death exemplifies this fear.