Schabusiness gets new public defender after attacking lawyer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Taylor Schabusiness’s defense lawyer, who was attacked in court by his client accused of killing and dismembering a man, has been allowed to withdraw from the case. A hearing was held Monday to formally sign off on attorney Quinn Jolly’s request.

“I am satisfied based upon the assertions and obviously I was here in court for the last hearing, I saw the events that transpired,” said Brown County Judge Thomas Walsh. “I am satisfied the request from Mr. Jolly to withdraw after those circumstances, makes a great deal of sense to me.”

The public defenders office already found new representation for Schabusiness. It only took the office two weeks to find someone to take over the case.

The judge set the next court date for March 3 at 1:15 p.m.

“My understanding is that by that time, the new attorney the public defender is appointing will have a chance to meet with Schabusiness and be ready to give the court some direction as to when they will be ready to move forward,” said Judge Walsh.

Schabusiness lunged at Jolly during a competency hearing on February 14 when the judge agreed to push back her trial until May. Jolly had asked the court for two more weeks for a defense expert to testify about her competency to stand trial.

Jolly filed a motion after the attack: “Due to the irretrievably broken state of the attorney-client relationship, caused by the events of the court hearing on February 14, 2023, counsel requests to be withdrawn from all further representation,” reads the motion. “Counsel firmly believes that withdrawal can be accomplished without a material adverse effect on the client’s interests as well as that of the State.”

Two deputies stood within arm’s reach of Schabusiness during Monday’s hearing.

The two armed deputies escorted a handcuffed Schabusiness into the Brown County courtroom Monday morning and never left her side, maintaining a distance between Schabusiness and Jolly.

This court date was originally meant to cover final pre-trial matters. The trial had been pushed back to hear testimony from a defense expert on Schabusiness’s mental health and faces a delay again because of the attack on her defender.

We don’t know the name of Schabusiness’s new attorney just yet, but they’re expected to be in court Friday afternoon to give the judge an idea of when this case can move forward.

Schabusiness remains behind bars on a $2 million cash bond.

Schabusiness was arrested a year ago on charges including first-degree intentional homicide for the death of Shad Thyrion.

Police were called to Thyrion’s mother’s home on Stony Brook Lane after his mother reported finding her son’s severed head in a bucket. Police learned Taylor Schabusiness may have been the last person to be seen with the victim then found additional body parts in her van.

Schabusiness told investigators she and Thyrion spent the day together smoking meth then went to his mother’s house. They were having sex and incorporated chains, and Schabusiness said she started strangling Thyrion. She said she didn’t mean to kill him but she enjoyed choking him and continued to do it.

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