Taylor Schabusiness killed her lover during sex – but what she did to him next defies belief as the victim’s mother had a horrifying discovery at the bottom of the basement stairs
Taylor Schabusiness had already crossed paths with the police, but no one could have predicted the gruesome act she would commit.
Schabusiness lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was married to husband Warren. They’d been together since 2017, but by 2022, Warren was serving time in prison for distributing drugs. The couple had a two-year-old son, who was living with family in Texas, and Schabusiness had developed a drug habit. She’d been in trouble for evading the police and was on probation. But while Warren was behind bars, she was partying and having sex with her ex-boyfriend, Shad Thyrion, 24.
Shad was a kind man who loved camping and spending time with family. He was swept along by Schabusiness’ strong character. On the evening of 21 February 2022, Schabusiness picked up Shad from the house he lived in with his mother, and the pair went round to a friend’s house to party. Shad’s mum, Tara Pakanich, spent the next day out with her boyfriend and didn’t see her son when she returned, as he slept in the basement. She assumed he’d spent the day with Schabusiness as her minivan was parked outside.
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But in the early hours of 23 February, she heard a door slam and the sound of a vehicle driving away. Tara went to check on Shad but couldn’t see him. Then, at the bottom of the basement stairs, she made a horrifying discovery – her son’s severed head in a bucket. After a hysterical 911 call, the police arrived at the house just after 3am. They found the plastic bucket covered with a towel. When the towel was lifted, there was Shad’s head along with his dismembered penis. Officers made more gruesome discoveries as they searched the basement.
There was blood on a mattress, more body parts and organs stuffed in bags and boxes. Shad’s torso was in a tote bag with one of his feet – and a carving knife. Schabusiness was the last person to be seen with Shad and investigators hunted her down to the minivan where she was living. Her clothes were covered in blood, she had scratches on her arms and a cut on her thumb. In the van were more of Shad’s body parts.
Schabusiness was arrested. At first, she said she had blacked out while partying with Shad. When she was asked about Shad’s head in the bucket, she responded, “That is pretty f***ed up.” She then made a confession, saying that after smoking cannabis with friends, she had gone with Shad back to his mum’s house, where she claimed they had smoked methamphetamine. She also said she had injected herself and Shad with the sedative Trazodon
They started to have sex. She added they’d engaged in erotic asphyxiation before, so Shad was allegedly a willing participant when Schabusiness put a chain around his neck and tightened it. Schabusiness told the police that Shad started to cough up blood. But she continued strangling him for three to five minutes, until he was dead.
Instead of calling the police, or fleeing the scene, Schabusiness performed oral sex on Shad, and used sex toys on his body for several hours. The next morning, she found knives in the house and used them to dismember Shad’s body. Schabusiness admitted enjoying beheading Shad, but went on to say she’d “got lazy” as she had intended to take his body parts to her minivan. She was calm as she described the killing.
Life behind bars
Schabusiness would eventually plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but a judge ruled that she was competent to stand trial. At one of her hearings, she attacked her lawyer.
At the trial, defence lawyers argued that Schabusiness had suffered from years of drug abuse and trauma, including the death of her mother when she was young, and imprisonment of her dad for sexual assault on a minor. They said her mental illness meant she wasn’t capable of understanding her actions. But the prosecution told the court about the cold-blooded killing. How she’d sexually abused Shad’s corpse then mutilated him. In the lead-up to the killing, Schabusiness had researched the Wisconsin serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and had admitted to a psychologist that she “had a thing” for him.
In July, Schabusiness, now 25, was found guilty of murder, third-degree sexual abuse and mutilating a corpse. Two months later, she was sentenced. Incredibly, Shad’s dad Michael said Schabusiness should be given a chance. “I forgive you…” he said. “It does no good to hate you.”
Schabusiness was given life in prison without the chance of parole for the murder and an additional 10-and-a-half years for mutilation of a corpse and sexual assault. She appeared to smile and pull faces from beneath a large white mask, known as a spit hood to prevent spitting or biting. The judge said that Schabusiness was a risk to the public. “This crime offends human decency, it offends human dignity, and it offends the human community.”
From prison, Schabusiness’ husband Warren made a statement saying he’ll stand by his wife “forever”. Schabusiness is behind bars and Shad’s murder has become a series of shocking headlines. A young man lost his life in the most senseless and brutal way, while his killer continues to show no remorse.
