An illegal immigrant from Cuba living in Minnesota has been convicted of first-degree premeditated murder after publicly beheading his girlfriend.
According to court records from the Minnesota Judicial Branch, Alexis Saborit, 44, was found guilty on Thursday, May 11. Saborit waived his right to a jury trial. A review hearing for Saborit is scheduled for June 1, and he is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Caroline H. Lennon stated in the court records that Saborit caused the death of America Thayer, 56, beyond a reasonable doubt. Witnesses reported seeing Thayer alive with Saborit at Shakopee’s Memorial Park around 2:00 pm on July 28, 2021. Thirty minutes later, witnesses saw a man attacking a woman in a Chrysler 300 sedan about a mile away from Memorial Park. They observed the man using a large machete to attack someone in the front passenger seat, and then saw him pulling out a decapitated body and severed head from the vehicle. The defendant used a dumbbell to strike Thayer in the head and the machete to decapitate her, clearly demonstrating his intent to cause her death.
A press release from the Shakopee Police Department in July 2021 stated that officers responded to a stabbing call between Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street. They discovered Thayer’s body with “stab wounds” and pronounced her dead at the scene. Although Saborit initially fled the scene, officers apprehended him shortly thereafter near the hotel where he was staying.
In the court document, Judge Lennon described the relationship between Saborit and Thayer as turbulent, with regular fights, accusations of mistreatment, and previous threats. Thayer had expressed her desire to end the 12-year relationship, and Saborit was aware that she wanted to “get rid of him.”
Charles Thayer, the son of the victim, expressed his satisfaction with the verdict, saying that his mother did not deserve to die in such a gruesome manner.
