True Crime Society - Taylor Schabusiness and the murder of Shad Thyrion

Taylor Schabusiness has just been found guilty of the incredibly grotesque murder of Shad Thyrion in February 2022 in Wisconsin.

You can read the criminal complaint for this case here.

We will start with some background into the people involved.

Shad Thyrion was born on September 7th, 1997 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to his obituary, Shad enjoyed camping, games, and spending time with his family. He was a very kind and compassionate person who often thought of others before himself. A talented artist, he also enjoyed wood carving.

I believe that Taylor and Shad were classmates together at Bay Port High School.

Taylor had a rough upbringing. Her mother Marla died from cirrhosis and alcoholism in 2009 – Taylor would have been around 12. She was raised by her parents until age 11 and moved to Cotulla, Texas, where she lived with her paternal grandparents. She has been receiving mental health treatment since she was in 7th grade.

In 2018, Taylor changed her name from Taylor Coronado to Taylor Schabusiness. She apparently married a man named Warren Schabow at one point, some records say their wedding was on Valentines Day in 2020. Warren uses the name Schabusiness on social media but says his real last name Schabow. Taylor and Warren had a son around 2021, named Mateo Coronado. They did not have custody of their son. The child lives with his paternal grandparents in Texas.

The following info is from Warren’s social media:

“my name is Warren E. Schabow, but im the one that blessed Taylor with the last name Schabusiness… either way im currently locked up on Federal charges because i was framed, anyways i beat a Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine charge and plead to a Possession with Intent to Deliver which is the best deal i could get.”

“so i was sentenced to 28 months because i already had 25 months in at the time of sentencing. with this being said just know ill be out by the January of 2024 but possibly november or december of this year … so plan on Warren Schabusiness to be out soon… now you know a little more about Warren and trust me come my release there will be lots more to know about myself and my Wife. #FreeMyWifeTaylorSchabusiness #LoyaltyOverEveryThing.”

In his mugshot, you can see Warren has Taylor’s name tattooed on his neck.

Warren has a state criminal history in Wisconsin, according to online court records. He was convicted of armed burglary, theft, disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier, resisting an officer, and marijuana dealing.

Taylor had a criminal past before the murder. She has a previous criminal record, including a recent conviction for fleeing, eluding and obstructing a police officer. She had been sentenced to three months in jail on Jan. 4 2022 with work-release privileges, according to online court records.

In 2022, in her top post on Facebook, Schabusiness wrote, “Went off and told an addict ‘I’ll never stop buying you dope, so I could sit back watch you die.’”

In 2022, (after the murder) Taylor’s brother Arturo was killed in a motorcycle accident.

The date of the murder was February 23, 2022. I think Warren must have been in prison by this time. Taylor and Shad had been involved in a sexual relationship.

A 9.30pm on February 21, Taylor picked up Shad and they went with a friend to get some drugs. The three of them smoked marijuana. Shad and Taylor also smoked methamphetamine, she said. Her roommate left, and Taylor injected Shad and herself with trazodone, an antidepressant.

At some point, Taylor and Shad returned to his mother’s home and went into the basement. The two were there for all or much of Feb. 22, Shad’s mother Tara said.

When they went into the basement, Shad got out two metal silver chains, one that he had around his neck and one he gave her. This info is coming from Taylor. She described the chains as “like a dog’s choke collar.” She said strangulation had been part of their sex acts in the past, the complaint says. He laid face down on the bed and Taylor said she went “crazy” and began to choke him with the chain and she did not stop even though he was coughing up blood and his face turned purple.

She told Green Bay Police Det. David Graf, “Ya, I liked it,” which he believed meant the strangulation, according to the criminal complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Taylor said she continued choking him until he stopped breathing.
Taylor later told police she first “played with the victim’s body for like two or three hours,” which led to the sexual assault charge. Then she used knives from the kitchen to decapitate and dismember Shad, planning to take all the body parts with her, “but she got lazy” and didn’t. Some body parts were eventually discovered in the van and some in the basement, placed in plastic shopping bags, a cardboard box, a plastic bucket and a plastic storage container, the complaint says.

Between 2.30 and 3am on February 23, Tara heard a door slamming and the sound of a vehicle. She got up to investigate and saw a light in the basement. When she went down there, she discovered Shad’s head in a bucket. She called police at 3.25am.

A towel had been placed over the head, and dried blood was found on a nearby mattress.

Police quickly learned that Taylor was the last person to be seen with Shad.

They found her at a home and said she had dried blood on her clothing.

Police searched Taylor’s’ van and found a box with “additional human body parts including legs” on the rear passenger seat. This happened after Taylor told detectives that most body parts should be in the basement, but “there should be a foot or a leg in the minivan”.

Police obtained a search warrant for the home. They found multiple other body parts, body fluids and knives.

Police said that Taylor told them they were “going to have fun trying to find all of the organs as she dismembered the body”.

She also said, “damn the head,” and “I can’t believe I left the head though.”

Taylor was charged first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and third-degree sexual assault. She pleaded not guilty in July 2022 and was held on a $2m bond.

This trial actually seemed to happen fairly quickly, despite some bumps in the road.

Taylor appeared in court on February 14, 2023. This appearance was to determine if she was fit to stand trial.

On this day, the judge ruled that he was going to delay her trial which had been scheduled to start on March 6.

After the judge announced this, Taylor went crazy and attacked her attorney Quinn Jolly. She was tackled to the ground by court officers.

“Just relax. Are you hurt? Are you hurt anywhere? Your wrists? Any tingling in your fingers or feet? Your vision okay?” the officers asked Taylor.

The judge set the new date for the trial as May 15.

That got pushed out again as Taylor’s attorneys went back and forth with the judge about what evidence should be allowed to be presented.

On May 5, Taylor’s attorney asked for a competency evaluation. Among the other reasons cited in the motion:

“The defendant attempted to hit her head on the table during 1 jail conference.”

“The defendant has looked away at the kiosk on the wall numerous times staring at in in a bizarre manner on several occasions as if she is seeing something.”

“The defendant has been unable to answer questions posed to her by defense counsel on occasion.”

“The defense counsel has noted odd responses to questions posed to the defendant.”

“The defense counsel has noted inappropriate smiling during some conferences which seemed unusual related to topics discussed.”

“The defense counsel has noted that the defendant loses her train of thought or becomes confused on occasion during conferences.”

The motion also states, “the defense counsel has concerns that the defendant may have been suffering from a mental breakdown or other mental defect before the alleged incident on February 23, 2022. The defense has concerns about the defendant’s ability to be able to assist in her own defense at this time.”

Taylor’s competency was discussed right up to the start of the trial.

On July 13, a judge heard testimony from forensic psychologist Dr. Diane Lytton. Dr. Lytton testified Taylor “showed signs of an active psychotic disorder” and is not competent for trial.

Before jury selection was scheduled to begin on July 21, court-ordered psychologist Dr. Matthew Seipel testified that Taylor was competent to stand trial.

The judge ultimately found that Taylor was competent and jury selection started.

Opening statements started on July 24, with the trial expected to last for around one week.

One day one, Judge Thomas J. Walsh explained to the jury that Taylor had entered two pleas: not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

The judge said that in this initial phase of the trial, the jurors are to only consider Taylor’s guilt, and not if she was suffering from a mental disease or defect during the incident.

The jury heard the police call in which Shad’s mother Tara and her boyfriend, Steve Hendricks, reported the discovery of Shad’s head in a bucket. The operator asks if the mother is “hallucinating.”

The jury saw graphic photos and video of items found in the basement and Taylor’s car, including the Shad’s head in a bucket, bags and containers filled with body parts, sex toys, dog collar chains, and bloody knives.

On day two, Taylor really did the most. She can be seen on video laughing as the judge spoke about the jury seeing images of Shad’s head in a bucket. At one point, she also made what appears to be ‘finger guns’ at the judge.

The Medical Examiner testified on day two.

“It is my medical opinion that the cause of death of Shad Thyrion is strangulation and the manner of death is homicide,” Dane County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Vincent Tranchida said. The ME also testified that additional body parts were found in a crockpot box in a van.

The ME also addressed the possibility of Shad having overdosed. “It is my medical opinion that the drugs did not have anything to do with the death of Mr. Thyrion.”

On day three, Green Bay Detective Kevin Kempf appeared on the stand and he described interviewing Taylor after her arrest.

Green Bay Police Detective David Graf also testified that he had two separate interviews with Taylor.

“Initially that was some of her comments was that it hadn’t intended. But once she started to strangle Shad, that she found that she did enjoy it. And so, she kept on strangling him,” said Detective Graf. “She was quite frank in being able to answer questions and ask questions.”

The detective also spoke about how Taylor had used knives from the kitchen to carry out the gruesome crime.

“She knew Shad was more than she could carry in terms of being a whole body.”

Taylor also spoke in court on this day. She exercised her right not to testify, and her attorney asked the judge to confirm she was not being pressured.

Both sides presented closing arguments after the state and defense rested.

The jury deliberated for under one hour. Taylor showed no emotion in court as she was found guilty on all charges.

The trial is interesting as it’s being done in two phases. The first is regarding Taylor’s charges.

The second phase (scheduled for Thursday) is about if Taylor is responsible for the crime, or if she was suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time of the killing.