An illegal immigrant who beheaded his girlfriend in public was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity on Tuesday.
A judge found Alexis Saborit, a 44-year-old illegal alien from Cuba living in Minnesota, not guilty of first-degree murder due to his mental illness, according to court records, per KSTP-TV. Because of Saborit’s insanity plea, the trial has two phases: one to determine whether he killed the victim, and one to determine whether he was responsible for his actions, CBS News explained.
In May, Judge Caroline Lennon ruled that Saborit had indeed beheaded his girlfriend, 55-year-old America Mafalda Thayer, with a machete and that the attack was premeditated, local NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported. Saborit killed Thayer as they rode together in her car and then threw her body out of the vehicle at an intersection in front of witnesses, according to KSTP-TV. The New York Post noted that bystander filmed Saborit picking Thayer’s severed head up by the hair. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant Charged With Beheading Woman Was Previously Targeted For Deportation)
NOT GUILTY/MENTAL ILLNESS: Crime shocked & appalled the community. America Thayer decapitated, killed by abusive partner she was trying to leave. Today, judge ruled Alexis Saborit Not Guilty b/c of mental illness. He heads to hospital, not prison. Victim’s family not happy. @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/0krIqF8lN0
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 18, 2023
In the second phase of the proceedings, however, Lennon ruled that Saborit’s “mental illness prevented him from understanding his actions were morally wrong,” per Fox 9
“This is your typical tell-tale abusive man controlling a relationship for many, many years,” Thayer’s son Charles told the outlet. “And I can’t even tell you how many times the cops were called for him beating the crap out of her.”
Two doctors found that Saborit had experienced severe psychotic and manic episodes since 2018, court records stated according to KSTP-TV, and he was purportedly motivated by his paranoid delusions when Thayer was murdered, Fox 9 reported.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to deport Saborit to Cuba in 2012 but was unsuccessful, the Post reported.