WARNING: Some people may find the details in this story disturbing.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The attorney for the woman accused of decapitating a man wants her to undergo a competency exam.
Taylor Schabusiness is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault for allegedly killing Shad Thyrion Feb. 22 at a west side home.
In a motion filed Thursday, attorney Quinn Jolly requested the exam, which will determine if Schabusiness understands the court proceedings and can assist in her own defense. The affidavit does not cite any specific reasons for the request, other than being based on his discussions with her.
Schabusiness, 24, is currently scheduled to return to court March 22 for a balance of initial appearance. However, that is before a court commissioner, who doesn’t have the authority to order a competency exam, so a hearing before a judge will have to be scheduled. Such requests are routinely granted.
Thursday’s motion does not concern her mental state at the time of the allegations; that issue can be raised at a future stage of the case.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called to a residence on Stony Brook 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.
