Alabama’s Republican senators are calling for justice for the retired Auburn University professor who was killed in a park where she was taking her dog for a walk.
The body of Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, a former professor of large animal medicine at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was found Saturday in a wooded area of Kiesel Park, where she often took her dog. Her red Ford F-150 truck was missing.
Her body was spotted by a passerby who called 911, Alabama’s Yellowhammer News reported. The dog was found safe near her body and returned to family members.
Dr. Schnuelle died from multiple sharp force injuries, Lee County Coroner Daniel Sextion told The Associated Press.
A day after the discovery, police arrested Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, and charged him with two counts of capital murder, one for kidnapping and another for robbery for taking her truck. He was arrested after police responded to a call of a suspicious person several miles from the park. The stolen truck was later found nearby.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Mr. Dabney. The crime was highlighted on social media by Republican Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt of Alabama at a time when President Trump is pushing for a crackdown on violent crime nationwide, and denounced the fatal attack of a woman on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month.
“Suzanne and I are devastated by the news of this tragic loss in our community,” Mr. Tuberville, who is running for governor in 2026, wrote on X. “We are praying for the victim’s family and loved ones and for justice to be served.”
Ms. Britt shared similar sentiments, writing on X, “Wesley and I are keeping the family of Dr. Julie Schnuelle and the entire Auburn community in our prayers.”
“I’m deeply grateful for the law enforcement officials working to get justice for this heinous murder,” she wrote.
“Dr. Gard Schnuelle was a beloved educator, mentor, researcher and colleague whose passion for teaching, dedication to students, and commitment to theriogenology earned the respect and admiration of all who knew her,” Auburn University said in a statement.
Dr. Schnuelle was a 1996 graduate of Auburn’s veterinary school and returned as a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Sciences’ Large Animal/ Food Animal section from 2003-2021, earning the rank of professor of theriogenology.
She recently served as Area Veterinarian in Charge with the Department of Agriculture for Alabama and Mississippi, according to the university.
Her suspected killer had been arrested in December 2023 in Virginia on a weapons offense involving a sawed-off shotgun, WRBL reported.
There was some confusion about where Mr. Dabney resides, with initial releases from police saying he was from Montgomery, Alabama, but arrest documents filed in Lee County District Court had his address as Auburn, WRBL reported.
Assistant Chief Mike Harris told the outlet that Auburn police have previously had an interaction with Dabney on a misdemeanor obstructing governmental operations charge for allegedly refusing to provide his address, but the address he eventually gave was Auburn.
