Schabusiness trial: Thyrion's death ruled homicide; expert says body mutilated for hours after death

Doug Schneider, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·3 min read
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Note: The Green Bay Press-Gazette has chosen not to publish many of the graphic details of this crime. However, readers may find material in this report disturbing.

GREEN BAY - A medical examiner who performed an autopsy on Shad Thyrion testified Tuesday rule that the Green Bay man was a homicide and that afterward his body was significantly mutilated.

Thyrion's body sustained additional significant harm in the hours after his death, Dr. Vincent Tranchida, now the deputy medical examiner for Dane and Rock counties, told jurors on Day 2 in the trial of Taylor Schabusiness.

Schabusiness, 25, of Green Bay, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, third-degree sexual abuse, and mutilating a corpse in the death of Thyrion, 24.

Dr. Vincent Tranchida, who works in the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office, describes injuries observed on Shad Thyrion's neck while testifying in the homicide trial of Taylor Schabusiness on July 25, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. Schabusiness is charged with killing and dismembering Thyrion in February 2022.
Dr. Vincent Tranchida, who works in the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office, describes injuries observed on Shad Thyrion's neck while testifying in the homicide trial of Taylor Schabusiness on July 25, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. Schabusiness is charged with killing and dismembering Thyrion in February 2022.

Tranchida said he made a number of sketches or drawings that showed areas of the body that had been injured before Thyrion's death.

He also testified that there was evidence of mutilation and dismemberment of Thyrion's body after his death. "My medical opinion is that this would (have taken) quite a few hours," he said. "The body was eviscerated."

Tranchida ruled Thyrion's death a homicide by strangulation, in the form of "a significant amount of force applied to the neck."

Taylor Schabusiness, who is charged with killing and dismembering her friend, is pictured during her trial in Brown County Circuit Court on July 25, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis.
Taylor Schabusiness, who is charged with killing and dismembering her friend, is pictured during her trial in Brown County Circuit Court on July 25, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis.

After Thyrion was dead, Tranchida testified, Thyrion's "torso was severed, (there also were) amputations or severing of the femur, the left lower leg had also been separated, (and) the right hip socket (was) open."

Tranchida had been the chief medical examiner for Dane County at a time when his office was under contract to conduct death investigations for Brown County, which has since hired its own chief medical examiner, who is based in Green Bay.

Tranchida also testified he tested Tyrion's body for the presence of drugs. He said he found "found cocaine, cocaine metabolite, methamphetamine, THC, and nicotine," but he does "not believe” they contributed to Thyrion’s death.

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Blood on clothing

Also Tuesday, a DNA analyst at the Wisconsin State Crime Lab testified about how he analyzed fluids, such as the blood that stained clothing Schabusiness was wearing the night Thyrion was killed and when she was arrested by Green Bay police.

Analyst Kevin Scott was able to conclude that Thyrion's blood had stained Schabusiness' articles of clothing.

Mistrial sought, denied

Froelich, outside the jury at day's end, asked Walsh to declare a mistrial, which would have required the case to start over, because prosecutors indicated they wanted to introduce evidence that Schabusiness' internet searches in February 2022 indicated a significant interest in Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer and sex offender who Froelich called "the worst killer in Wisconsin." Froelich said it would be unfair for prosecutors to connect Dahmer's case and Schabusiness'. Dahmer was murdered in state prison in 1994 while serving 15 life sentences for murder.

Walsh denied Froelich's request for a mistrial, but told prosecutors he did not want "further references made" to Dahmer.

Who else testified on Tuesday:

  • Green Bay Detective Phillip Scanlan

  • Brown County Sheriff's Deputy Bryce Haines

  • Green Bay Police Officer Garth Russell

  • Green Bay Police Lt. Tom Buchmann

  • Green Bay Officer Tim Kenney

  • Green Bay Officer Leah Whitman

  • Wisconsin Crime Lab Data Analyst Kevin Scott

  • Olivia Sassman, evidence program manager for the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation

  • Alexander Gannon, a friend of Shad Thyrion and Taylor Schabusiness since high school

  • Green Bay Police Detective Craig Pakkala

  • Nathan R. Kolinski, Green Bay Police evidence technician

  • Jean Rakers, Green Bay Police evidence technician

  • Jena Luberda, former Green Bay Police lieutenant

Coming Wednesday

The prosecution could call its last remaining witnesses on Wednesday, and could show video of Schabusiness being interviewed by Graf about the Thyrion killing. Once the prosecution is through having witnesses testify, the defense can begin calling witnesses.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Expert: Thyrion's death homicide; body mutilated for hours after death

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