Community members gathered at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street in Shakopee, Minnesota, Thursday to honor the life of America Mafalda Thayer, a 55-year-old woman who was brutally murdered in broad daylight.
Thayer was beheaded Wednesday by 42-year-old Alexis Saborit, according to police.
One of her neighbors said Thayer recently asked to spend the night because she was afraid Saborit was going “to wake up and start again.” Saborit was convicted of domestic assault in 2017 for abusing Thayer.
Faith, America Thayer's neighbor broke down in tears earlier here and describes Thayer as "so happy and bubbly".
Others here echoed the same sentiment with how much Thayer could make them laugh and was so tremendously giving to others. pic.twitter.com/elsAdirWVg
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 29, 2021
Friends and coworkers described her as a “happy and bubbly” person who gave so much to others.
People are asking others to bring flowers to leave to honor America Thayer, inviting anyone to speak about her or domestic violence.
Former co-workers of Thayer say she was such a giving person & currently worked at My Pillow. They say she had a violent history w/ the suspect. pic.twitter.com/fJ5KvBjRTi
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 29, 2021
Saborit was charged Friday with second-degree intentional murder. According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived on the scene to discover a body with no head. In a nearby yard, they found what looked like a sheath for a machete.
“The woman had been decapitated and her head was lying approximately one foot away from her body,” the complaint states.
The complaint says that Saborit killed Thayer because she wanted to end their relationship.
The weapon used in the attack was discovered Thursday by a dog in a garden near the intersection of Spencer Street and Fourth Avenue.
“Officers responded to the area and observed a black handle sticking up from the ground, concealed in a bush. The knife was almost entirely concealed and difficult to see. It appeared as though it had been plunged into the dirt somehow. The knife was a black machete with a partially serrated edge. The blade was covered with blood-like substance and there appeared to be strands of hair on the blade,” the complaint says.
The gruesome attack was witnessed by several people in the area, including a woman who recorded a video of Saborit picking up his victim’s head.
People are currently gathering in Shakopee at the intersection of Spencer St & 4th Ave to honor America Thayer – the woman who was tragically decapitated yesterday in the suburb south of Minneapolis. Friends of her here say the suspect was her boyfriend. pic.twitter.com/gMjScPX0uK
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) July 29, 2021
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and reported for The Daily Caller.
