Lee County prosecutors announced Monday they will seek the death penalty for Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, who is accused of ambushing and stabbing retired Auburn University veterinary professor Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle while she walked her dog in a city park.
Court documents and police reports released by investigators say Schnuelle, 59, was attacked Saturday morning on a trail in Auburn’s Kiesel Park, a route she regularly used. Prosecutors charged Dabney with two counts of capital murder — murder during a kidnapping and murder during a robbery — and say evidence directly ties him to the crime scene.
According to arrest warrants cited by local media, Schnuelle was ambushed by a stranger, dragged several hundred feet off the main path into a wooded area and stabbed multiple times. Her dog was later found unharmed near her body. Investigators allege the assailant took Schnuelle’s keys and drove away in her red Ford F-150. The pickup was found abandoned in a creek bed less than five miles from Kiesel Park.
Dabney was arrested the next day after a 911 caller reported a suspicious person about two miles from where the truck was abandoned. He appeared Monday afternoon in Lee County district court wearing a black-and-white jail uniform and told District Judge Jeff Tickal that he could not afford an attorney. Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere confirmed the office will pursue capital punishment.
Court documents cited by local outlets did not elaborate on the nature of the evidence that linked Dabney to the scene. The records indicate he was previously arrested in December 2023 in Virginia on a weapons charge involving a sawed-off shotgun. His only other known court appearance was in 2016 on a speeding citation in Montgomery.
Schnuelle was a retired veterinarian who had taught at Auburn University. University officials and local leaders expressed shock at the killing in a park frequently used by residents for walking and recreation, according to local reports. The case prompted an immediate police response and an expanded investigation by Auburn law enforcement.
The capital charges filed against Dabney carry the possibility of the death penalty under Alabama law when a killing occurs in the course of certain felonies, including kidnapping and robbery. Officials have not released a timetable for pretrial proceedings beyond the initial appearance. Prosecutors said Monday they will seek the most severe sentence available.
No trial date has been set. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the case to contact Auburn police. Local media reports indicate the investigation is ongoing and that prosecutors and law enforcement officials are continuing to gather and review evidence in preparation for further court proceedings.