Police say men in fatal stabbing at UT had visitor
1/8/2013The two University of Toledo students involved in an on-campus fatal stabbing had a visitor that night who was arrested after being hospitalized for bizarre behavior, official records show.
Alexander Vogel, 18, of Toledo, visited Josiah Galat, 20, and Erik Littleton, 19, on Dec. 19 before the two engineering students were involved in a fight that, ultimately, led to Mr. Galat's death at the university's Horton International House.
While Mr. Vogel is not believed to have been involved in the fight, police responding to it encountered Mr. Vogel naked and agitated in or near that building. He was taken into custody "for his own well-being" and taken to Toledo Hospital for medical attention, then arrested the next day and issued a summons for disorderly conduct.
Mr. Galat, a senior from Mansfield, was stabbed once in each side of his neck, officials have said. Mr. Littleton, a sophomore, was also injured in the fight. He was taken to Toledo Hospital for treatment, but no information on his condition has been available.
Mr. Littleton has not been charged.
An initial university police report on the stabbing contains little information. It does list the knife used in the stabbing as a “hunting knife.”
Police previously declined to say what type of knife was used, or how many, but said a weapon was recovered from the scene.
Meghan Cunningham, a University of Toledo spokesman, said Mr. Vogel neither was involved in nor witnessed the fight between the two students, but said she did not know where Mr. Vogel was when the fight broke out sometime before 9 p.m.
The court summons written to Mr. Vogel said he was "screaming and yelling things" about being in pain and causing himself physical harm when three of the officers sent to Horton International House came upon him. He was not responsive to officers' questions about what was wrong or whether he could put clothes on, according to the summons.
Mr. Vogel was arraigned Dec. 27 and plead not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He is next scheduled to appear in court Feb. 12 for a pretrial conference.
Mrs. Cunningham said the investigation is ongoing.
Contact Taylor Dungjen at: tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.