(Jefferson County, Iowa)–The Maharishi University of Management campus in Vedic City, Iowa was somber Tuesday, as students and faculty mourned the loss of a student and classmate who police say was murdered by a peer.
According to police, the suspect, 24-year-old Shuvender Sem, a student, was being detained by MUM faculty members and appeared calm when police arrived Monday evening. They say he wasn’t aggressive and didn’t show a lot of emotion. And sources say witnesses reported no exchange before the stabbing.
Fairfield’s Police Chief says, ” When the officers arrived they found the victim, Mr. Levi Butler, in the dining hall suffering from stab wounds to the upper chest area.” The 19-year old Butler was also at student at MUM.
MUM Executive Vice President Craig Pearson says, ” We’ve prided ourselves on having a very peaceful campus virtually free of the problems of crime, drugs, and alcohol abuse, so it’s just completely shocking.” Even police were surprised when they were dispatched to a call of a stabbing at the MUM. They say it’s historically been a quiet campus. But inside the Annapurna dining hall, the scene made history at the quiet campus.
Pearson says, ” It’s a very unfortunate incident that happened. Nothing remotely like this has ever happened in our 31 years here on campus.”
Pearson says, ” There was no argument, no altercation, no negativity between the two people. No previous experience, in fact, by all accounts, the individuals were friends.”
While on the scene, officers found out this wasn’t the first stabbing incident that involved sem that day. Another student came forward with more allegations.
Tim Dilly, Jefferson County Attorney says, ” An individual had been stabbed in the face with a ballpoint pen by Mr. Sem earlier that day in a classroom”
Police arrested sem on the scene. Sem is charged with first-degree murder as well as assault with intent to commit serious injury, stemming from the pen stabbing.
Butler died of his injuries at Jefferson County Hospital Monday night. Sem is being held in the Jefferson County Jail awaiting arraignment. At a hearing Tuesday, bond was set at $1 million.