Killing of America Thayer

On the afternoon of July 28, 2021, a decapitated body was discovered in the middle of an intersection in Shakopee, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb; the victim's head was found nearby. The victim was identified as America Mafalda Thayer, a 55-year-old woman from Shakopee. The Shakopee Police Department responded at around 2:30 PM to a report of a headless body dumped from a car near 4th and Spencer. Officers found Thayer's headless body and her head lying near her car, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. A machete and bloody clothing were later found in the recycling bin of a nearby alleyway.

The suspect, 42-year-old Alexis Saborit, was Thayer's boyfriend; the two had reportedly been dating for roughly seven years. According to Saborit, an altercation broke out between the pair while driving through Shakopee after Thayer told him she wanted to break up with him. Saborit pulled out a machete, which he reportedly often carried, and beheaded Thayer. Police documents indicate several witnesses saw the killing; one recorded video of Saborit dumping the body and then picking up Thayer's head by the hair, while another reported seeing him hitting and throwing something.

Saborit was an immigrant from Cuba who, according to authorities, was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He reportedly had a prior criminal record including domestic assault charges in Minnesota and Louisiana, a DUI, and fleeing a police officer. Efforts to deport him in 2012 reportedly failed because Cuba would not approve travel documents. He was convicted of domestic violence in 2017 after pinning Thayer to the ground during a jealous confrontation at a bar; a restraining order imposed before that trial was later lifted after Thayer sent the court a handwritten note asking for it to be overturned. On the day of the killing, Saborit was scheduled to appear in Scott County court on arson charges related to allegedly setting fire to his apartment.

Local police found Saborit wandering near Minnesota State Highway 101 and Shenandoah Parkway and arrested him at The Landing historical village, about 1.5 miles from the crime scene and three blocks from the Travelodge hotel where he had been staying. He was charged with second-degree murder, with bail set at $2.5 million, and admitted to police that he had killed Thayer with a machete. He was assigned a public defender at his request, with a first court appearance scheduled for August 9, 2021.

After two psychological evaluations, the Scott County Attorney acknowledged the case was heading toward a likely finding of not guilty by reason of mental illness. On July 17, 2023, Saborit was acquitted of the killing on those grounds.