Ex-boyfriend charged with attempted murder after Cedar Rapids stabbing

An attempted murder charge has been filed against a Cedar Rapids man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend more than 10 times Friday.

Shaheed Q. Pendleton, 32, was arrested after police found Raquel Truax, 29, with life-threatening stab wounds at 1440 Third Ave. SE, police said. According to a criminal complaint, Truax had serious injuries that "required surgery to avoid death."

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said Truax was stabbed more than 10 times, mostly in the chest and abdomen. She also had wounds on her neck and head.

Truax was breathing on her own Monday and was expected to survive the attack, police said. She remained hospitalized at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Information about her medical condition was not immediately available.

"She's doing much, much, much better," Hamblin said.

Officers responded around 4 p.m. Friday to a 911 call reporting the stabbing. They found Truax with multiple stab wounds in a recliner on the front porch. Pendleton, who was pacing back and forth on the porch when police arrived, also had stab wounds, according to the police report.

Hamblin said investigators were still trying to determine whether Pendleton's stab wounds were self-inflicted or if someone was defending Truax. She said there was no indication that Truax stabbed Pendleton.

Pendleton was treated at St. Luke's Hospital and then taken to the Linn County Jail on Saturday, police said.

A no-contact order was issued Sept. 10 between Pendleton and Truax, although both currently lived together at the 1440 Third Ave. SE address, police said. Hamblin said Pendleton is the father of some of Truax's children.

Police said several people were at the house when the stabbing took place, and interviews were still taking place.