BEDFORD — A Bedford man faces severe felony charges, including attempted murder, after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance multiple times during an unprovoked attack inside a local residence on Sunday, Sept. 27, setting off a sequence of events that ended with both men hospitalized in Indianapolis.
William Edmund Melvin II, 65, of Bedford, was charged on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, by the Bedford Police Department. He faces preliminary charges of:
- Attempted Murder — Level 1 Felony
- Aggravated Battery — Level 3 Felony
- Battery with a Deadly Weapon — Level 5 Felony
Bloody Scene at 17th and G Streets
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Detective Major Kye Louden, officers were dispatched at approximately 5:56 p.m. on September 27 to the intersection of 17th and G Streets. Upon arrival, Sergeant Nick Crulo found a group of bystanders rendering aid to an elderly man who was covered in blood with multiple severe stab wounds.
First responders observed deep lacerations on the upper left side of the man’s back, near his ear and head, and a critical wound near his right collarbone that caused heavy arterial bleeding. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was transported to IU Health Bedford before being airlifted by helicopter to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for emergency surgery.
A male bystander who stopped to assist reported that he had been driving down G Street when he saw Melvin, who uses a walker, actively chasing a bleeding man down the street. The bystander intervened, causing Melvin to abandon the pursuit and flee northwest toward 16th and H Streets.
Suspect Located with Self-Inflicted Knife Wound
Shortly after the initial dispatch, Officer Ratcliff located Melvin walking through a lot near 1615 H Street. As the officer approached, Melvin knelt on the ground. When instructed to raise his hands, officers observed a 9-inch fixed-blade hunting knife protruding directly from Melvin’s lower abdomen.
Melvin was secured in handcuffs, and officers rendered medical aid for what appeared to be self-inflicted abdominal cuts showing minimal bleeding. Due to ambulance response times, officers transported Melvin in a patrol car to IU Health Bedford. He was subsequently transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital for treatment.
During a search of the victim’s residence, where the attack began, officers executed a search warrant and discovered a large pool of blood in the kitchen along with a knife sheath matching the fixed-blade weapon recovered near Melvin at the arrest scene.
Conflicting Hospital Statements and Investigation Details
Detectives traveled to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to conduct recorded interviews with both men.
When interviewed in his ER room, Melvin claimed the victim had attacked him first over prescription pain medication while watching an Indianapolis Colts game, stabbing him in the stomach. Melvin claimed he wrestled the knife away to defend himself. However, when asked why the knife remained plunged into his own abdomen when police found him, or why his shirt showed no puncture holes or significant blood, Melvin offered no explanation to detectives before requesting an attorney.
In a separate interview on September 29, the victim provided a vastly different account. He stated Melvin asked him for help picking up a dropped pill bottle under a bed. As the victim bent down to assist, he discovered there was no bottle, and Melvin stabbed him in the shoulder without warning.
The victim reported fighting for his life as Melvin continued coming at him with the knife, stating that Melvin acted calmly before suggesting the victim sit down, a gesture the victim believed was an attempt to let him bleed out or “finish the job.”
The male victim struck Melvin with his fist to break free and ran into the street, where the male bystander intervention saved his life.
The victim emphasized that he never touched the knife and suggested Melvin stabbed himself after the assault. DNA search warrants were executed for both men to compare forensic evidence with the blood-stained hunting knife recovered at the crime scene.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
