Ex-St. Olaf student sentenced to 7½ years for hammer, knife attack on ex-girlfriend at dorm party

A man expelled from St. Olaf College received a 7½-year prison term Monday for invading a dorm room party with a knife and hammer, and attacking his former girlfriend until three fellow students stepped in and were also wounded while saving her life.

William Davis Schulenberg, 23, of Chanhassen, was sentenced in Rice County District Court after he pleaded guilty in August to one count of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault in connection with the violent outburst on May 1, 2022, in Ytterboe Hall on the Northfield campus.

With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Schulenberg is expected to serve roughly five years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

The plea agreement between the prosecution and the defense called for Schulenberg to receive a sentence of anywhere from 6¼ to 17 years. The defense argued for the low end of the range, while prosecutors pursued the potential maximum in the plea deal.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted Schulenberg at the request of the Rice County Attorney’s Office, declined to comment about Judge Jeffrey Johnson’s sentence barely landing above the minimum in the plea deal.

“Today, William Schulenberg faced justice for the appalling crimes he committed,” read a written statement from Ellison. “Once again, I would like to extend my gratitude to the brave people who rescued the young woman from Schulenberg’s assault. They made a split-second decision to risk their own safety in defense of one of their peers, and their actions likely saved a life that day.”

In a court filing ahead of sentencing, the prosecution spelled out the wide-ranging impact on the victim, who continues to shoulder trauma since the attack 3½ years ago: She dropped out of school, has been evicted twice from her home and remains out of work.

In summary, prosecutors wrote, while Schulenberg “may have moved on for the better, the negative consequences of his actions on [the woman] and his other victims will be long felt.”

The prosecution also detailed how Schulenberg tried to use a hammer to fight off the three students who came to the woman’s rescue before subduing him.

Defense attorney Stephen Foertsch argued before sentencing for Schulenberg to receive the minimum as spelled out in the plea deal.

Along with pointing out that Schulenberg has battled psychological difficulties and expressed remorse for his crimes, Foertsch told the Minnesota Star Tribune a few hours before sentencing that prosecutors have made assertions against his client that have been “disproven by objective evidence in the case.”

For example, Foertsch continued, “the state asserts he stabbed her in the head with a knife. However, none of her DNA was found on the knife. The state asserts he attempted to slit her throat. However, none of three eyewitnesses corroborate that assertion.”

Schulenberg climbed through the dorm window shortly after midnight with a hammer in one hand and a hunting knife in the other. He struck the female student’s head multiple times with the hammer and pushed the blade into her neck. Prosecutors said he stabbed her at least twice.

The three male students attending the party intervened and wrestled with Schulenberg until he was overwhelmed by them.

The woman, who was 19 at the time, explained to law enforcement that the relationship had turned toxic, and Schulenberg did not want to break up. At the time of the attack, Schulenberg was subject to a college-issued order requiring him to stay away from the woman.

One student reported that he had texted with Schulenberg and told him to not come to the party because the former girlfriend was there. Schulenberg asked the student to have her leave, but his demand was rejected.