Minnesota man arrested after decapitating longtime girlfriend, police say

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man was arrested after a woman’s decapitated body was found on a sidewalk on Wednesday, investigators said.

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Shakopee Police Department said the beheaded body of America Mafalda Thayer was found around 2:30 p.m. on a sidewalk in Shakopee, WCCO reported.

Police said her longtime boyfriend Alexis Saborit was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Saborit, 42, was previously convicted in 2017 of domestic assault. He is also currently facing arson charges after allegedly trying to burn down his apartment, KMSP reported.

Police said it was not a random act. Thayer, 55, and Saborit had a long-term relationship.

Thayer’s friends and family said abuse was a constant.

Friend Faith Howie described an incident from about a month ago.

“She came around 1:30, 2 in the morning and knocked,” Howie said. “She goes, ‘Can I sleep here tonight? I’m afraid he is going to get up and start in again.’”

Friends and coworkers described Thayer as kind and upbeat.

“She just loved everyone she came across,” friend Mikala Dickerson told KMSP. “It’s just really hard and very traumatizing.”

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