GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Another request for a mental competency exam was submitted Monday by the attorney for a woman accused of killing and decapitating a man.
Taylor Schabusiness, 24, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and third-degree sexual assault for allegedly attacking Shad Thyrion on Feb. 23.
Mental competency refers to a defendant’s ability to understand the court proceedings and assist in her own defense.
Schabusiness was found competent to stand trial by a judge in May after a psychological exam, but in a filing Monday, attorney Quinn Jolly requested another such exam.
“Based upon the discussions I have had with my client, I have concerns regarding her ability to understand these proceedings and assist in her own defense. Based upon recently received jail records, I have concerns regarding her ability to understand these proceedings and assist in her own defense. Based upon recent courtroom behavior, I have concerns regarding her ability to understand these proceeding and assist in her own defense. Based upon the Defendant being on suicide watch since August 31, 2022, I have concerns regarding her ability to understand these proceedings and assist in her own defense,” attorney Jolly wrote.
The request is likely to be discussed at a status conference already scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors have not filed a response to the motion.
While the competency issue addresses Schabusiness’ mental condition now, a separate part of the case addresses her mental condition at the time of the attack.
Schabusiness has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, sometimes referred to as the insanity plea. The results of a psychiatric exam to determine if there is supporting evidence for that plea are the reason Tuesday’s hearing was scheduled.
No trial date has been set.
If the insanity plea continues, and if the case goes to trial, a jury would first be asked to determine if Schabusiness is guilty of the crimes charged. If she is convicted, the same jury would hear a second phase of the trial to determine if she should be held responsible for the crime based on her mental condition. If the jury holds her culpable, she would be sentenced to prison. If it determines she suffers from a mental disease or defect which rendered her unable to tell right from wrong, she would be committed to a secure mental health facility.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called to a residence on Stony Brook Lane early in the morning of Feb. 23. There, police found a severed head inside a bucket in the basement.
Schabusiness said she and the victim were using drugs, including meth, and engaging in sexual play, when the man was strangled. She then sexually abused him, dismembered the body and placed body parts in various locations in the home and a vehicle, the criminal complaint states.
“Schabusiness made the comment that at one point, she did get paranoid and lazy and that she thought it was the ‘dope’ that was making her paranoid,” the complaint states.
Police say they took Schabusiness into custody later on Feb. 23 at an Eastman Avenue residence.
Schabusiness removed an electronic monitoring bracelet hours before the murder, according to the sheriff’s department. A warrant was issued for her arrest, but she was not located before allegedly killing Thyrion.
She is being held on a $2 million cash bond.
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