FROM DAILY MAIL: A suspected killer is facing the death penalty after a retired Auburn University professor was stabbed to death in a park while walking her dog in broad daylight.
Beloved veterinarian Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, was found dead in a wooded area of Kiesel Park in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday afternoon.
Investigators believe Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle was attacked and killed while walking her dog at Auburn’s Kiesel Park Saturday morning. https://t.co/vIMKJVICgc pic.twitter.com/AZRfchgdVa
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) September 7, 2025
Schnuelle’s injuries were consistent with an assault caused by a sharp object believed to likely have been a knife, Auburn police said in a statement obtained by Daily Mail. Her dog was unharmed.
Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, has been charged with two counts of capital murder in connection to Schnuelle’s slaying.
Police have not said what led to the attack or whether the suspect knew Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle or targeted her at random. https://t.co/ONtX2ZUccj pic.twitter.com/Yvhng1izAf
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) September 7, 2025
Capital murder is the most severe type of murder in Alabama, defined as an intentional killing with “aggravating factors.” The crime is a Class A felony and a possible sentence could be death or life imprisonment without parole.
Dabney will also likely be charged with murder during a robbery and murder during a kidnapping, according to WRBL.
Schnuelle went to the 124–acre public Kiesel Park on Saturday morning to walk with her dog. She was attacked in a wooded area, where her body was found at around 2 pm. Schnuelle’s dog was found safe.
Authorities have not revealed a motive for the attack, and it is unclear whether Dabney personally knew Schnuelle or if he targeted her at random. He likely stole Schnuelle‘s red Ford F-150 truck to flee the scene, as it was found dumped near a pumpkin patch around five miles away.
Reports say Schnuelle visited the park daily.
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