Taylor Schabusiness, Woman Who Brutally Decapitated and Dismembered Lover, Is Sentenced

On Tuesday, the woman found guilty of the murder and dismemberment of Shad Thyrion was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of extended supervision, or parole, for first-degree intentional homicide. She was given additional time, to be served concurrently, on charges of mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault.

Though the judge acknowledged there was a lot of "tragedy" in her life, he added, "you are responsible for the choices you make about where you're going," before giving his sentencing. "This crime offends human decency, it offends human dignity and it offends the human community, it really does," he continued -- adding, "The public needs protection."

During the proceedings, Schabusiness appeared to be wearing a spit hood, something typically worn to prevent spitting, biting or to exposure to diseases.

At the hearing, Schabusiness' attorney Christopher Froelich called Taylor's grandmother, cousin and father -- the latter of whom came from prison -- to testify on her behalf before the judge's sentencing.

First was her grandmother, Esther, who appeared via Zoom. She revealed she was currently caring for her granddaughter's son, Mateo, who will turn two next month. Esther said they planned to adopt the child, so he could "stay in the family." In an apparent cry for sympathy or leniency, she said her 25-year-old granddaughter has been through "a lot for a young person to take in," including her loss of her mother, her father remarrying, her own pregnancy and losing custody of her son, before the death of her brother.

She said she believes her granddaughter needs counseling, but should "have the opportunity to come back to society ... and be with her son" in the future. Taylor's second cousin also wanted her to have the option of parole for the same reason. "She's not a lost cause, she's not a monster," said the cousin, who agreed Schabusiness did still need to be punished for her actions.

Her father, testifying in his prison jumpsuit, said he didn't think his daughter was a monster either, despite the convictions. He also wanted the possibility of parole, saying, "mistakes were made, her not being in the right state of mind when it happened has a lot to do with it ... drugs mess people up. She has a child, it'd be nice for her to see her child."

Schabusiness herself opted not to talk during the hearing, though her attorney said he believed the murder was a "meth-fueled incident."

Two members of the victim's family then gave impact statements for the prosecution; Shad's uncle spoke first.

"I basically wanted to say there's no excuse for what she's done, I don't care if it's drugs or upbringing, we all go through hard times growing up," he began. "You have the opportunity to change that ... to see you have a problem ... basically, to me, you took the easy way out. You did the most cowardly, weakest thing that you could do possible."

"All over the place there's help and it doesn't cost a dime," he continued, saying it made no sense to him for her to have the option for parole. "To take the cowardly path you did and to make other people suffer because you were suffering, is pretty s--tty. The name Taylor S--t-business, fits you well."

"I will pray that you meet the same fate as your [idol] Jeffrey Dahmer, so have a good life S--tbusiness," he concluded, as others in the courtroom applauded.

Shad's father, Michael, then spoke -- saying, "I forgive you for what you done to my son and, yeah, you made a bad choice and now you have to live with it." While he said he was going to miss his son, he told the judge he did hope she could "see the streets again sometime" in the future.

"I believe everybody makes bad choices -- maybe not to this scale -- but I think there's a lot of hope for you, I think you can make use of your time and be a better person and do great things," he added. "It does no good for me to hate you. I know you got a heart, I know you got a mind and I wish you no harm and I hope things go well for you."

Back in July, a jury found Schabusiness guilty on first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault charges -- deciding she was not mentally ill at the time of the crimes. Had they ruled otherwise, Schabusiness would have been sent to a mental institution.

Schabusiness was accused of choking Thyrion, her lover, to death during a drug-fueled sex romp before dismembering him; his severed head was discovered by his own mother in her basement on February 23, 2022. She initially entered a not guilty by reason of insanity plea.

She was placed under arrest after Thyrion's mother said Schabusiness was the last person to see her son alive. When they went to Taylor's home, police said her clothes were covered in dried blood. Searching a minivan, they found a crock pot box containing "additional human body parts including legs."

In a police interview video showed to the court, Schabusiness told investigators she had spent the day with the victim smoking meth. After arriving at his mother's home, they started having sex, and incorporated chains.

She said that Thyrion's face turned purple and he began coughing up blood, but she "still didn't stop" and he died within 3-5 minutes. Schabusiness said she "didn't want him to die" because he was her "buddy," but she "wanted to see what would happen" and "kept on going."

When asked if she realized she would kill him, she replied, "I felt bad, I was like, damn, he's gonna be wheezing after this, I might as well just kill him."

She then told cops she "played with him a little bit" after she realized he was dead. She said she also performed oral sex on his body, played with his penis and used a sex toy on the corpse, as well as herself.

Schabusiness also said she "cuddled" his body. "I was sucking and cutting at the same time," she said.

When asked how she dismembered him, she said she grabbed four knives from the kitchen, including a bread knife. Schabusiness said she left the home because she "kept on hearing footsteps" and gun shots -- adding, "It was a weird night."

When asked if she felt what happened was "the right thing to do," she replied, "No, I did it anyway."

When told she'll likely be going to jail, she said, "I didn't know that." And when asked, "If somebody kills somebody and dismembers them, do you not think that person should go to jail?", she responded, "Oh f--- yeah, this s--- was f----ed up."

See more previous coverage on the case below: