With a history of violent criminal behavior, a foreign national was released from jail by a judge. Sadly, soon after his release, he was involved in a horrifying incident, beheading a woman in broad daylight.
Ever since Alexis Saborit illegally immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba, he managed to evade justice. Even when Immigrations and Customs Enforcement tried to deport him in 2012, his home country refused to approve the travel documents. This defiance led to a series of escalating crimes, ultimately ending in a tragic murder.
A Minnesota community was left in shock and outrage following a gruesome murder that happened right in public view. A witness called police to report an alarming scene: Saborit had dragged a headless body from a car and dumped it in the middle of an intersection in Shakopee.
Saborit then placed the head near the body. When officers arrived moments later, they found the decapitated remains of 55-year-old legal immigrant America Mafalda Thayer, according to the New York Post.
Officers noted the horrific sight of a woman, naked from the waist up, with her feet towards the curb and shoulders by an open car door. Her head was lying a foot away from her body, surrounded by a large amount of blood both on the ground and inside the car.
Upon his arrest, Saborit reportedly admitted to police that he killed Thayer, who was his on-again-off-again girlfriend, because she wanted to end their relationship. Thayer had been urging Saborit not to miss his court date for another legal issue, but while they were in traffic, he attacked her with a serrated machete he always carried.
Tragically, Thayer was aware of Saborit’s dangerous nature. His extensive criminal record in the U.S. includes domestic violence convictions in Louisiana and Minnesota. Additionally, he was charged for first-degree arson in Minnesota after attempting to burn down his apartment.
Months before the murder, a court psychologist had urged a judge to keep Saborit in custody until his trial. However, instead of heeding this advice, he was released, awaiting his hearing, which allowed him to commit this heinous crime.
At least one of Saborit’s domestic violence convictions involved Thayer as the victim. Despite this, she defended him in court, pleading to have the pre-trial no-contact order lifted so she could see him.
“I have lived with Alexis Saborit for 4 years, and we’ve never had a problem,” she wrote. “He doesn’t have anyone in this country and doesn’t speak English. I need to be in contact with him to help us! We will undergo any treatment recommended. Please remove the no-contact order.”
Despite Saborit’s admission to the beheading, he claimed it was an act of self-defense.
The Defendant said they were headed to his court hearing together. On the way, the Victim mentioned ending their relationship, which purportedly incited the attack. Saborit claimed that she had “gone too far” in her abuse and comments about their breakup.
Thayer’s tragic death highlights significant flaws in the legal system. Had Saborit been deported or held in custody as suggested by the court doctor, this beautiful woman’s life might have been spared.
When a nation struggles to enforce its own laws about who can reside within its borders, it places everyone at risk. Unfortunately, Thayer became a victim of these systemic failures.
