A woman from Green Bay, Wisconsin, accused of killing and dismembering a man last February appeared in court Tuesday and attacked her own lawyer. Taylor Schabusiness, 25, allegedly was under the influence of methamphetamine when she killed and subsequently dismembered Shad Tyrion, 24, during a sexual escapade. Now a dramatic video shows Schabusiness attacking her defense attorney, Quinn Jolly, in the courtroom.
Courtroom video shared by Fox 6 News begins with Schabusiness sitting calmly in the courtroom, but the scene soon turned violent as she brutally attacked Jolly. A courtroom deputy quickly gets her to the ground, where she thrashes violently. She makes it very difficult for the officer to contain her. A second officer gets involved, and Schabusiness is eventually calmed down and taken out of the courtroom. The incident gives a glimpse into Schabusiness’ suspected violent nature.
Schabusiness is accused of killing Tyrion last February.
NBC 26 reported in March 2022 that police arrived at a home in the 800 block of Stony Brook Lane in Green Bay on February 23 after someone reported a severed head. The caller, later identified as Tyrion’s mother, said the head was in a bucket in the basement.
Court documents at the time said Schabusiness was allegedly the last person seen with Tyrion, so police went to her apartment. She reportedly came to the door with what appeared to be dried blood on her clothes and hands. Police inspected her van and found several human body parts, including legs, in the vehicle, according to NBC 26.
The pair were allegedly high at the time of the killing.
Court documents note that during an interview with police, Schabusiness reportedly told investigators she and Tyrion were involved in a sexual act that involved strangling. She also reportedly said she and Tyrion were smoking meth at the time of the killing.
Schabusiness allegedly decapitated Tyrion during the encounter and continued to perform sex acts on him after his death, according to the New York Post. She reportedly then cut up his body with a serrated knife and put his body parts in various containers, including a slow cooker intended for his mother to find, the news outlet reported.
During the interview, she reportedly told investigators, “have fun trying to find all of the organs.”
The courtroom attack seemingly came out of nowhere.
At the time of the attack, the judge recommended Schabusiness’ murder trial be moved to May 15 instead of March 6, per Jolly’s request. At this point, Schabusiness apparently became enraged and attacked Jolly.
The lawyer requested the extension because he believed Schabusiness was not mentally competent to stand trial and he needed more time to build his case.
The woman has a history of mental illness.
Schabusiness initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect but allegedly told police that she went “crazy” the night of the killing, according to the Post. She reportedly said she didn’t intend to kill Tyrion but sat on his body, waiting for him to die. She allegedly told police, “Ya, I liked it.”
According to a court-appointed physician, Schabusiness was competent to stand trial, but Jolly argued that was not the case. She was reportedly previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been under a doctor’s care for mental illness since seventh grade.
Schabusiness is reportedly married.
Warren Schabusiness posted a letter in November 2022, allegedly written by the accused killer, blaming the killing on drugs that Tyrion reportedly gave her, according to the Post.
She referenced drugs on her last public Facebook on January 13, 2022. It read, “Went off and told an addict, ‘I’ll never stop buying you dope, so I could sit back watch you die.’”
Taylor Schabusiness has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault. If convicted, she faces life in prison.
