Attorney General’s Office secures convictions for assault causing great bodily harm and assault with a deadly weapon

William Davis Schulenberg pleads guilty to 4 counts of assault following May 2022 attack on St. Olaf campus

August 18, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Today, William Davis Schulenberg pled guilty to 4 counts of assault—including assault causing great bodily harm and assault with a deadly weapon – following a May 1, 2022, attack on the St. Olaf campus in Faribault, Minnesota.  A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 5, 2025, in Rice County district court.

On May 1, 2022, Schulenberg climbed through a window into a party in a dorm on St. Olaf University Campus and attacked a young woman with a knife and hammer. Schulenberg struck the victim’s head multiple times and was pushing the blade into the victim’s neck when three other individuals intervened. As the rescuers wrestled Schulenberg away, Schulenberg struck two of them with his hammer and cut the third with his knife before being subdued. 

Attorney General Ellison’s office prosecuted Schulenberg upon a referral from Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson under Minnesota Statutes section 8.01, which provides, “Upon request of the county attorney, the attorney general shall appear in court in such criminal cases as the attorney general deems proper.”

“William Schulenberg’s crimes are truly horrifying,” said Attorney General Ellison. “I am extremely grateful to the brave individuals who put themselves in harm’s way to rescue the young woman Schulenberg was assaulting. Their intervention likely saved her life, and they deserve to be commended for their heroism. Schulenberg’s guilty plea will ensure he faces justice for his actions, and I hope that brings some measure of solace to his victims and their loved ones.”

Attorney General Ellison thanks the Northfield Police Department and the Rice County Sheriff’s Office, who assisted in the investigation and successful prosecution of this crime.