Benjamin VanDell could be your little brother.

He was sound asleep in his bed in his apartment in Duluth, MN when Willie Davis Nicholson broke into his apartment. A phone rang and startled Nicholson who responded by stabbing Ben VanDell five times in his own bed before he woke up. He stabbed him ten more times trying to kill him before his girlfriend arrived at the apartment after getting off work shortly after 7 AM:

“A 20-year-old Duluth man was asleep in his bed early Saturday when an intruder looking for a place to rest stabbed him more than a dozen times in order to prevent him from calling police, according to charges filed Tuesday.

Willie Davis Nicholson, 23, was arraigned on felony charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree burglary in an incident the prosecutor called an “unprovoked, vicious assault on a complete stranger.”

Nicholson allegedly admitted to police that he entered an apartment on the 4700 block of Grand Avenue shortly before 7 a.m. and stabbed the victim, Benjamin VanDell, up to 15 times. VanDell suffered serious, but not life-threatening, wounds to his head, torso, back and hands.

Nicholson allegedly admitted that he entered the residence looking for a place to sleep. Discovering VanDell in bed and hearing a phone ring, Nicholson told police he attacked the victim, with an intent to kill, out of fear of being caught, according to a criminal complaint. …

VanDell’s girlfriend arrived home from work at about 6:50 a.m. and discovered that the chain lock had been fastened on the apartment door. She began knocking and yelling for someone to let her in, and then heard VanDell screaming inside.

Another roommate opened the door and the girlfriend soon saw an unknown man exit the bedroom she shares with VanDell. She reported that the intruder was covered in blood and he ran from the apartment.

VanDell also exited the bedroom, bleeding profusely. His girlfriend held pressure on his wounds until an ambulance transported him to St. Luke’s hospital, where it was discovered he had sustained at least 14 stab wounds. …”