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Tara Pakanich had no way of preparing herself for what she discovered early on February 23, 2022, at her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In a green bucket wrapped with a shower towel, she found her son Shad Thyrion's severed head.
Later on, Thyrion's dismembered torso, penis, and organs were recovered by the authorities from her basement.
The heinous nature of the crime was evident as Taylor Schabusiness, charged with the murder, went on trial.
On Wednesday, after only half an hour of deliberation, the jury convicted Schabusiness of all counts of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault, putting her at risk of facing a life sentence since the death penalty is illegal in Wisconsin.
Schabusiness had a past with Thyrion as they had known each other since middle school and had previously been involved in a romantic and sexual relationship. They had consumed methamphetamines and prescription drugs on the day of the killing.
The suspected killer mentioned in a police interview that she and Thyrion would often engage in foreplay that involved choking each other using metal chains. During their latest encounter, they both wore chains. As per her confession, after placing the chains on each other, Thyrion lay on his stomach while Schabusiness started to strangle him.
Despite the fact that he coughed up blood and was visibly turning purple, she continued to choke him. Detective David Graf of the Green Bay Police Department revealed in court that Schabusiness allegedly stated that she enjoyed the entire incident when questioned about it. "Her response was that she liked it," Detective Graf shared with local news outlet WBAY.
According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Schabusiness informed law enforcement that she engaged in sexual intercourse with Thyrion's deceased body for a certain duration since she derived pleasure from it.
Afterward, she planned to mutilate the corpse using kitchen knives and retain every organ, but she abandoned the plan due to exhaustion, as reported by The Daily Beast.
Detective Graf disclosed in court that Schabusiness collected Thyrion's blood from the crime scene using a bucket and a tote bag and later showered with it.
Dane County Medical Examiner Dr. Vincent Tranchida also testified in court that there was an absence of blood at the location of the killing.