Taylor Schabusiness appears in spit mask as she’s sentenced: update

Nothing could have prepared Tara Pakanich for what she encountered in the early morning hours of 23 February 2022. Inside a green bucket covered with a shower towel at her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was the mutilated head of her 24-year-old son Shad Thyrion.

Thyrion’s torso, penis and carved-out organs were later found by law enforcement in her basement. The gruesome nature of the murder was on full display in court as married mother-of-one Taylor Schabusiness went on trial charged with his murder in July.

A jury took just 30 minutes to convict her on all counts of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and third-degree sexual assault in Thyrion’s death. Then two months later, Schabusiness was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Schabusiness, 25, and her victim knew each other since middle school and had been involved in an extra-marital sexual relationship, she told law enforcement. On the fateful day of Thyrion’s death, they had been consuming methamphetamines and prescription drugs.

Here’s everything we know about the case:

The convicted murderer was brought into the courtroom wearing an anti-spitting guard that covered the lower part of her face, following previous episodes in court in which she became violent toward her own counsel.

Earlier this year, Schabusiness attacked her former attorney.

The altercation happened after a witness failed to show up to testify on Schabusiness’ mental state, according to reports.

Wearing handcuffs, she attempted to elbow her lawyer in the face.

Judge Thomas Walsh slammed a written statement by Schabusiness’ father, in which he argued that “the system” had failed his daughter.

The judge said that while he sympathised with Schabusiness’ struggles, her heinous actions and unpredictable behaviour warranted her to be imprisoned for life.

“It’s not the system’s job to raise people’s children. Our fight against methamphetamines is not perfect but we carry on,” Judge Walsh said.

“To suggest that it is somehow the system that failed ... it disturbed me when I read that piece. It really starts in the home. I’m convinced that it’s no one’s fault where they came from, but it is their responsibility where they go from there.”

Before the sentencing, Thyrion’s father Michael Thyrion gave an emotional victim’s impact statement in which he said he forgave Schabusiness.

“I forgive you for what you did to my son,” Mr Thyrion said. “I’m going to miss Shad ... I’m going to ask the judge if you can see the streets sometime, it might not be soon. Everybody makes bad choices, maybe not to this degree but I think there is a lot of hope for you.

“And I think you can use your time to be a better person and do good things. I know you got a heart, I wish you no harm and I hope things go well for you.”

Schabusiness’ defence also called pharmacist Dr James O’Donnell to the stand. The doctor said that Schabusiness had likely suffered a drug-induced psychosis after taking “51 hits of methamphetamines” on the day of the murder.

Mr O’Donnell said that Schabusiness had spiralled out of control after she lost her job at a Cheesecake Factory because she was always high at work or unable to work at all.

Her history of bipolar, schizoaffective spectrum disorder, PTSD, major depression disorder and untreated ADHD only exacerbated the effects of her drug use, Mr O’Donnell said.

During the three-day trial, detectives told the court about Schabusiness’ online searches for “Jeffrey Dahmer walking into court all sexy” and “Jeffrey Dahmer’s butt.”

Although her defence had requested those searches not be admitted as evidence, Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh ruled in the prosecution’s favour.

Eleven days before she killed Thyrion, Schabusiness took a bizarre selfie next to a cellphone with an image of the cannibal serial killer.

Expert pharmacist James O’Donnell testified for the defence that Schabusiness had likely suffered a drug-induced psychosis after taking “51 hits of methamphetamines” on the day of the murder.

He highlighted that the phrasing often referred to smoking, but that Schabusiness had mentioned also injecting herself with meth. He said that while he wasn’t sure how many grams of meth Schabusiness used, the quantity seemed extremely large.

“I’ve never heard of that much methamphetamine use,” Mr O’Donnell said, adding that Schabusiness had built resistance after using meth and marijuana nearly every day. “The chronic use caused constant daily injuries to the brain function and chemistry ... even without continued use, there is already chronic damage”

During cross-examination, prosecutors noted that Dr O’Donnell had not witnessed the “51 hits of methamphetamines” and that Schabusiness had been the one to relay that information.

Schabusiness’ cousin Valerie Armor, who is also a psychiatric nurse practitioner, told the court on Tuesday that the convicted murderer had experienced a lot of trauma throughout her life.

Ms Armor testified that there was another side to Schabusiness — a woman who once had a witty sense of humour, just like her mother, but got lost along the way.

“I would like her to be considered for parole. I would like her to get a chance later in life to be with her son,” Ms Armor said. “She is not a lost cause, she is not a monster. She does need to be punished and ... my family, we apologise to Shad’s family for what’s happened.”

Judge Michael Walsh handed down a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole to Schabusiness.

Taylor Schabusiness has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the gruesome meth-fueled murder and mutilation of her lover last year.

Schabusiness, a 25-year-old married mother-of-one, was sentenced on Tuesday at the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

It comes two months after she was convicted on three felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and third-degree sexual assault in the September 2022 death of 24-year-old Shad Thyrion.

When asked by Judge Thomas Walsh if she had anything to tell the court before he handed down her sentence, Schabusiness uttered only: “There isn’t.”

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