She bought a knife, wanted to stab someone
Sorry, but when a "news" journal is that deep into batshit clickbait propaganda, you can't use other articles written by them as a source of truth. Hell the second article isn't even an article it's just a statement with no source, wrapped in acid.
I'm not saying she's innocent or that it was called for, but there's no reliable truth in that article other than the man is dead.
Guns aren't allowed in New York, She's trans, needs to protect herself. It was a steak knife, not exactly a weapon you use to fight someone for funsies.
If she was pure evil, she would have gotten 25 years. They gave her 15 because she was in the wrong, but it wasn't black and white.