Art Basel Stabber Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder

The stabbing suspect, who has been identified as 24-year-old Siyuan Zhao, is arrested at Art Basel in Miami Beach.
Photo: Rudy Perez, courtesy the Miami Herald.

A woman who viciously stabbed another woman during the recent Art Basel in Miami Beach fair pleaded not guilty in Miami Dade court Monday morning to attempted first degree murder.

A video report on the site of ABC local news showed footage of the stabber, 24-year old Siyuan Zhao, in the courtroom showing no reaction or emotion as Judge Jose L. Fernandez raised her bond from $25,000 to $100,000. Zhao, a Chinese national, rents an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

In the wake of the stabbing, the press spoke to several of her friends who expressed shock at her involvement and insisted that “she’s a very understanding woman.” According to reports, Zhao had been following the victim, 33-year-old Shin Seo Young, and repeatedly bumped into her. When Young finally confronted her, Zhao stabbed her suddenly and repeatedly in the neck and shoulder with an X-ACTO knife.

Mugshot of 24-year-old Siyuan Zhao via WPLG Local 10 reporter Liane Morejon’s Twitter feed.

“I had to kill her and two more,” Zhao later told police. “Had to watch her bleed.” The victim’s injuries were not life threatening.

Zhao’s next court appearance, according to Local 10 News, is slated for April.