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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A judge has found Taylor Schulz not guilty by reason of mental illness in the 2023 killing of a Loring Park grocery store employee, ruling that Schulz committed the murder but did not understand at the time that what he was doing was wrong.
Taylor Schulz finding
What we know:
In a ruling this morning, Judge Michael Burns ruled that the state had effectively proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor Schulz was responsible for the murder of 66-year-old Robert Skafte at the Oak Grove Grocery on Dec. 8, 2023.
However, the judge determined that "at the time [Schulz] committed the crimes, he was mentally ill" and didn't know what he was doing was wrong. As a result, Schulz was found not guilty by reason of mental illness.
The not-guilty finding was issued for both counts of murder Schulz faced in the case.
What's next:
The not guilty finding doesn't mean Schulz will walk free. Schulz is currently being held under civil commitment as "mentally ill and dangerous" and the judge has ordered that commitment to continue under court supervision.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is set to hold a news conference on the findings at 11 a.m. You can watch that in the live player above and on FOX 9 All Day.
Grocery store killing
The backstory:
Schulz was charged with murder after authorities said he attacked Skafte with a golf club. Police said Skafte was working at the Oak Grove Grocery Store on Dec. 8, 2023 when Schulz took an item to the counter but then walked around the to the other side and attacked Skafte.
Skafte tried to escape, but police said Schulz continued his attack. After the murder, Schulz walked across the street to his apartment, where other tenants saw him enter covered in blood. When officers tried to make contact with him, Schulz refused to leave, sparking a standoff.