On February 23, 2022, Shad Thyrion, a 24-year-old American man, was murdered and dismembered by his lover, Taylor Schabusiness. Thyrion's severed head was discovered by his mother, Tara Pakanich, in a bucket in the basement of their family home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Other severed body parts, including Thyrion's bisected torso in a storage tote, were later discovered by police.
| Murder of Shad Thyrion | |
|---|---|
  Green Bay Green Bay (Wisconsin) | |
| Location | Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 44°30′48″N 88°0′57″W / 44.51333°N 88.01583°W |
| Date | February 23, 2022[1] |
Attack type | Murder by strangulation, rape, dismemberment |
| Weapon | Chain, knives |
| Victim | Shad Thyrion |
| Perpetrator | Taylor Schabusiness |
| Motive | Sexual gratification |
| Verdict | Guilty on all charges |
| Charges | |
| Judge | Thomas Walsh |
| Sentence | Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus 10+1⁄2 years |
Schabusiness, who was involved in a sexual relationship with Thyrion, admitted to strangling him to death during sexual intercourse while they were both intoxicated with methamphetamine and prescription drugs. She continued to have sex with Thyrion's body before dismembering, removing internal organs from, and mutilating it.
Schabusiness was arrested and charged with murder, mutilating a corpse, and rape. On July 26, 2023, a jury convicted her on all three counts. Sentencing took place on September 26 with Schabusiness sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[2]
Murder
editOn February 21, 2022, at around 9:30 p.m., Thyrion was picked up from the home of his mother, Tara Pakanich, by Taylor Schabusiness, with whom he had a sexual relationship. The couple, joined by a friend, went to an apartment on Eastman Avenue and smoked cannabis. Schabusiness stated in her interrogation that she and Thyrion also smoked methamphetamine, and injected Trazodone at the apartment after the friend left.[1] The couple then returned to Thyrion's mother's house. Pakanich and her boyfriend, Steve Hendricks, were away at the time.
They then went down to the basement and began engaging in sexual intercourse. Schabusiness claimed that they had engaged in erotic asphyxiation in prior encounters and on this occurrence, they had used metal chains.[3] Schabusiness then proceeded to strangle Thyrion until he started to cough up blood. She continued until Thyrion was deceased which took around 3 to 5 minutes.[4]
Schabusiness then proceeded to perform oral sex and use sex toys on the body for several hours afterwards.[3] The following morning she dismembered the body using knives she found at the house. Schabusiness positioned the body on the bed and beheaded it over a bucket and a storage tote to contain the blood.[3] She then dumped the blood down the basement shower drain. She also removed the organs and placed them in plastic bags, the tote, cardboard boxes, and the bucket. [3]
Investigation
editTwo days later, on February 23, 2022, Thyrion's mother found her son's head in a bucket in her basement.[5] It had been covered with a towel. Later, police would discover Thyrion's removed penis in the bucket as well. Hendricks then called the police who did a search of the basement and found human organs stuffed into plastic bags and cardboard boxes. His torso was discovered in the tote with his dismembered foot placed inside it. Additional body parts including a leg were also found later in a crock pot box inside Schabusiness's minivan.[3]
Police found Schabusiness later that day at an apartment complex on Eastman Avenue, which is where a gold Town and Country minivan used to transport various body parts of Thyrion was found by police. Her clothes were covered in blood and her left thumb had a cut. She also had scratches on her arms which she claimed were self-inflicted. She was arrested and charged with murder, mutilation of a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault on March 1.[6] Schabusiness, earlier that year on January 3, was convicted and sentenced for 3 months for fleeing, eluding, and obstructing police. It is unclear if she was on work release at the time of the murder.[7] She had removed a GPS tracker from her ankle.[1]
Trial and incarceration
editSchabusiness's attorney, Quinn Jolly, submitted a not guilty by reason of insanity plea on September 1, 2022.[8]
On February 14, 2023, Schabusiness attacked Jolly after he requested the trial date be pushed back so experts could determine her competency to stand trial.[9] Schabusiness was tackled by a Brown County sheriff's officer. No one was seriously injured. Around ten minutes after the attack, Jolly told Judge Walsh he planned to file a motion to be removed from the case.[10] He was replaced by Christopher Froelich on March 3, who requested that Walsh recuse himself as his witnessing the attack could affect his ruling. Walsh declined.[11]
Forensic psychologist Diane Lytton testified that Schabusiness told her she "had a thing with Jeffrey Dahmer a year ago", although Dahmer was murdered in prison by a fellow inmate in 1994.[12] On July 26, a jury convicted Schabusiness of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault.[1][5][6] On September 26, Walsh sentenced Schabusiness to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Walsh said he had to protect the public from her. "This crime offends human decency, it offends human dignity, it offends the human community. It really does", he said. Thyrion's father forgave Schabusiness, saying, "I believe everybody makes bad choices, maybe not to this scale. It does no good to hate you. I know you've got a heart, got a mind."[2]
Schabusiness is serving out her sentence at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, a facility housing only female inmates that is located in the city of Fond du Lac.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Gruesome details about Shad Thyrion's murder and dismemberment emerge during trial". The Independent. July 31, 2023. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Schneider, Doug (September 26, 2023). "Taylor Schabusiness sentenced to life in prison for killing, decapitating Shad Thyrion of Green Bay". Green Bay Press Gazette. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Lasee, David L. (March 1, 2022). "Taylor Denise Schabusiness Criminal Complaint" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Kalmbacher, Colin (July 24, 2023). "Bodycam footage played during Taylor Schabusiness trial shows police finding severed head". Law & Crime. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Schneider, Doug (July 27, 2023). "Wisconsin woman convicted of homicide, mutilating a corpse, sexual abuse after death of boyfriend". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Timeline of Events in the Taylor Schabusiness Case". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "What we know and what we don't know about the Green Bay dismemberment of Shad Thyrion, 'a kind and compassionate person'". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Schneider, Doug (September 1, 2022). "Defense lawyer in Green Bay beheading case asks judge to find Schabusiness not guilty by reason of insanity". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Kilander, Gustaf (February 15, 2023). "Woman accused of decapitating her lover attacks lawyer in wild court assault". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Schneider, Doug (February 14, 2023). "Taylor Schabusiness attacks lawyer in Brown County courtroom; she is charged with killing, decapitating friend". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Schneider, Doug (March 3, 2023). "Judge Walsh rejects request to remove himself from Schabusiness case after she attacked her attorney in court". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Spargo, Chris (July 14, 2023). "Meth-Fueled Murder Suspect Taylor Schabusiness Told Psychologist She 'Had a Thing With Jeffrey Dahmer'". Inside Edition. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Spargo, Chris (October 23, 2023). "Meth-Fueled Murderess Taylor Schabusiness Smirks in Prison Pics After Transfer to Maximum-Security Facility". Inside Edition. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.