Temple University student charged with attempted murder after stabbing Temple grad 13 times, police say

Police on Monday identified the Temple University student they say stabbed a recent Temple graduate 13 times on Sunday morning and said he has been charged with attempted murder.

Michael Morrell, 24, attacked the 22-year-old at an apartment building on the 1400 block of North 15th Street, just outside the university’s main campus, said Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Morrell also faces charges of possession of an instrument of crime and aggravated assault, police said. He is being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on $900,000 bail, according to court records.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m., the victim, whom police did not identify, was sleeping on a couch in an apartment on the third floor and was awakened by a sharp pain as Morrell attacked with a kitchen knife, Vanore said.

Morrell, who lives in the same building as the victim, stabbed him 12 times in the back and once in the right ear, police said. The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital and placed in critical condition, police said.

Police arrested Morrell shortly after at the 1300 block of Parrish Street, and recovered the knife they say he used in the attack, said Vanore. Police believe the two men knew each other, he said, but it was unclear what sparked the attack.

Temple University officials said the two men belonged to a fraternity whose chapter is not currently recognized by the university due to unspecified “previous infractions.”

Temple’s Division of Student Affairs is investigating the incident, and anyone involved will be subject to disciplinary action, Temple vice president for public safety Jennifer Griffin and Temple vice president for students affairs Jodi Bailey Accavallo said in a joint statement.

“While we do not yet know the circumstances leading up to this incident, we do know that the resulting violence is never the answer,” the statement said. “This is a tragic situation with life-altering outcomes for all involved.”

The stabbing came just three days after a 20-year-old Temple University student from Maryland was shot and killed by another student near the university’s main campus.

Late Thursday night, police responded to a call of a person with a gun on the 1500 block of North Carlisle Street and found Chase Myles lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest, police said. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead minutes later, police said.

Nicholas Iaderosa, 23, of the 1400 block of North Carlisle, was arrested at the scene, police said, and two 9mm handguns were recovered. Police believe both Iaderosa and Myles were armed, and that the shooting was sparked by an argument that may have been about drugs.