Former University of Kentucky student pleads guilty to assault in racist attack captured on video

University of Kentucky student Kylah Spring on viral video of racist attack on campus

A former University of Kentucky student pleaded guilty Monday to assault and other charges for a racist attack on a Black student that was captured on video.

Sophia Rosing, 23, pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct and public intoxication, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Sophia Rosing Lexington-Fayette Urban County Division of Community Corrections

Rosing, who is white, attacked a Black student in 2022 while she was working in a campus residence hall. Rosing was arrested the night of the assault and later expelled from school and banned from campus by the university president.

Rosing had been previously indicted by a grand jury on six counts, including assault and public intoxication, CBS affiliate WKYT reported.

Rosing faces up to 1 year in jail and 100 hours of community service, according to her attorney, Fred Peters. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 17.

The attack was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms. Kylah Spring said in the video that Rosing hit her multiple times and kicked her in the stomach. Rosing could be heard using the n-word and "b*****" throughout the video.

Peters told the newspaper the guilty plea came after a mediation with the two parties.

"A lot of things got said, apologies were made and we worked it out," Peters said of the session. "She has had a lot of time to think about what she has done, and she wrote a nice letter of apology."

But Spring told WLEX after the hearing that she did not believe Rosing was remorseful.

"I feel that a person that is remorseful takes actions that are moving towards proving they are remorseful," Spring said. "Not just words."

In a message to students and staff after the incident, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said the student who was attacked "acted with professionalism, restraint and discretion."

As a Black woman, Spring told "CBS Mornings" in 2022 she understood what was happening to her in that moment. Although disheartening, Spring said she understood it was critical that she remained composed even while being attacked.

"I wanted to make sure I acted appropriately so that I could keep my job because the script could have been flipped at any time if I had retaliated," Spring said.