Attacker ordered to leave the U.S.

Boda Wu leaves the United States Wednesday morning bound for his homeland of China as a convicted felon, who is labeled persona non grata on Purdue University campus.

Last August, Wu, at the time a Purdue student, strangled another student as she waited to board a bus for a trip with a student organization. He wrapped a phone cord around her neck and began to strangle her with it.

The woman was able to get the phone cord off of her neck, but she fell to the ground during the struggle. Wu then pounced on her and strangled her with his hands until bystanders knocked him off of her and restrained him until police arrived, according to prosecutors.

For this, he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to battery by means of a deadly weapon.

In exchange for his plea earlier this month, prosecutors dropped four other felony charges — criminal confinement armed with a deadly weapon, criminal confinement with bodily injury, strangulation and battery with moderate injury.

Wu testified earlier this month that he did not know the girl he attacked, and his attorney, Brian Dekker, said at the July 1 hearing that Wu had a psychotic break with paranoid visions.

Since his arrest, Wu has been incarcerated at the Tippecanoe County Jail. After he was declared unfit to stand trial, Wu spent time in a psychiatric health care facility until he was able to assist in his criminal defense. He was returned to the jail in June after he was competent to stand trial.

At his sentencing hearing Tuesday in Tippecanoe Circuit Court, Wu, who has been incarcerated or hospitalized since the offense, was ordered released from custody, having served the time of the sentence of 366 days after credit for good time served was added.

He has a flight for China leaving Chicago at 8:23 a.m. Wednesday, and he is ordered to be on it as part of his plea agreement.