Trial of Wisconsin woman accused of killing, dismembering man begins Monday

The trial of a Wisconsin woman accused of killing and dismembering a man in Green Bay will begin on Monday, after a judge found her fit to assist in her own defense.

Taylor Schabusiness, 25, of Green Bay was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and third-degree sexual assault after allegedly strangling Shad Thyrion at a home in Green Bay in February 2022.

Schabusiness is also accused of sexually abusing Thyrion and dismembering his body, leaving parts of him throughout the house and in a vehicle.

The suspect pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to the crimes. In March, a judge ruled Schabusiness was competent to stand trial.

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Christopher T. Froelich, of the Green Bay-based Froelich Law Group, told the court he disagreed with the court’s decision that his client was deemed fit to assist in her own defense, the Associated Press reported.

On Friday, 16 jurors were selected for the trial, with four of the jurors serving as alternates.

In April, Froelich requested the case be moved because, “a fair and impartial trial cannot be had in Brown County… due to substantial pre-trial publicity and other factors.”

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Evidence of publicity was insufficient when making a case to bring in a jury from another jurisdiction or selecting a new venue, Judge Thomas Walsh ruled at the time.

To help weed out jurors, prosecutors said they were not against sending questionnaires to prospective jurors, asking about their news consumption regarding the case.

In a video that surfaced in February 2023, Schabusiness was seen attacking her attorney, Quinn Jolley, in a Brown County circuit courtroom.

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Shortly after Walsh agreed to postpone her March 6 trial, Schabusiness attacked Quinn and was wrestled to the ground by a sheriff’s deputy.

As a result of the outburst, the judge moved her competency hearing date to March 6 and proposed a trial date of May 15.

The judge ruled in March that Schabusiness was competent to stand trial.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.