A man accused in the brutal stabbing of a transgender teen at Miami International Airport on Sunday was denied bond in court on Monday.
The alleged stabber, identified as 29-year-old Alexander Love, is charged with attempted first-degree murder and attempted premeditated murder, according to an arrest report.
The 17-year-old was on the floor, having a meal, when Love attacked her with a long butcher knife, the report stated. The victim was stabbed about 18 times in the arms, shoulders, neck, face, head and legs.
Love then allegedly tried to push the teen over a fourth-floor safety retaining glass, but the victim was able to free herself and run down a staircase to the third floor, where she received medical assistance, police confirmed.
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The victim was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where she underwent emergency surgery, the report stated. Her current condition is unclear.
Love was placed into custody by Customs and Border Patrol shortly after the attack. During an interview, Love claimed he became briefly acquainted with the teen at the airport, the report stated.
He also told investigators that he was possibly drugged and that someone inserted an unknown object in his rectum.
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Love added that he was unsure if the teen was to blame, but made a statement indicating that he needed to hurt whoever hurt him, the report stated. Love claimed this prompted him to purchase the butcher knife at a nearby Target store.
The arrest report refers to the victim as he, but the victim’s mother told officers her 17-year-old is transgender and currently in the transition process. She identifies as female.
Preliminary information does not indicate this was a hate crime, however, police say they are not ruling it out.
In bond court on Monday, the judge denied Love bond and ordered for him to have no contact with the 17-year-old victim.
