Thursday brought a somber but expected verdict as Judge Caroline H. Lennon found Alexis Saborit, 44, guilty of First Degree Premeditated Murder by Judge Caroline H. Lennon. Saborit had waived his right to a jury trial in the July 2021 killing of America Thayer, 55, in Minnesota, and the review hearing is now scheduled for June 1. The County Attorney, Ron Hocerav, believes this verdict will lead to a life sentence without the possibility of parole for Saborit.
Eyewitness accounts state that around 2:00 p.m. on the day of the killing, Saborit and Thayer were seen together in her Chrysler 300 at Memorial Park. Approximately 30 minutes later, multiple people saw a man attacking a woman in the same car at the intersection of Spencer Street and Fourth Avenue in Shakopee, roughly a mile from the park. Witnesses reported seeing the man pulling a decapitated body and a severed head out of the vehicle after striking the victim with a hand weight and chopping at the front seat passenger seat with a large knife.
In court records, Judge Lennon stated that the “aggressive and horrible nature of the attack adequately displays the defendant’s intention to kill Thayer” and noted that Saborit and Thayer had a “difficult relationship, marked by fights and verbal assaults as well as mutual threats.” It was clear that Thayer had wanted to end the relationship, and Saborit was aware of that because of knowledge of their bad relationship.
The tragedy of Thayer’s death has severely impacted her friends and colleagues. Her friend of five years, Nicky Kendrick, says Thayer was an incredibly wonderful person who was “always kind, so funny and had great stories to tell.” Her coworkers at MyPillow shared similar sentiments and descriptive, with Jamie Worley saying, “We all went there today, dropped off a rose and a teddy bear at her desk. Everyone was simply in tears as it’s such an emotional time.”
The unfair act of violence that ended America Thayer’s life has left a lasting mark of grief on her loved ones, who will continue to remember her kindness and stories. Meanwhile, Alexis Saborit will now face the consequences of his behavior and will likely serve a lifetime in prison.