Julie Gard Schnuelle: Kiesel Park Attack, Arrest, and Charges

Julie Gard Schnuelle was a 59-year-old retired Auburn University veterinary professor who was stabbed to death on the morning of September 6, 2025, while walking her dog at Kiesel Park in Auburn, Alabama.¹ Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, of Montgomery, was arrested the next day and charged with two counts of capital murder, and Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere has said her office intends to seek the death penalty.²

What Happened at Kiesel Park

Schnuelle arrived at Kiesel Park, on Beehive Drive in Auburn, at about 9:30 a.m. on September 6, 2025, and began walking her dog roughly ten minutes later. Surveillance footage captured a man later identified as Dabney emerging from a nearby hayfield around 10:20 a.m.³

Around 2:00 p.m., police received a call about a deceased person in a wooded section of the park.¹ Officers found two pools of blood near a walking trail. A blood trail led them about 30 yards into the woods, where Schnuelle’s body was found behind a tree, appearing to have been dragged there. Her visor, dog leash, and phone, all soaked in blood, lay 10 to 15 yards away.⁴ Her dog was found safe and returned to her family.⁵

A preliminary autopsy found Schnuelle died from seven stab wounds inflicted by a bladed object, with injuries to her neck, chest, forearm, and right hand. Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton confirmed the fatal injuries were consistent with sharp force trauma. The weapon has not been recovered.⁴

How Police Identified and Arrested the Suspect

Surveillance footage showed the suspect using Schnuelle’s key fob to locate her red Ford F-150 pickup in the parking area. A Flock license plate reader captured the truck on Wire Road at 10:29 a.m. Investigators later found it abandoned in a wooded area near a creek bed on Wire Road, with blood on the driver’s seat and steering wheel.³

The next morning, September 7, Auburn Police responded to a report of a suspicious person at St. Matthew’s Baptist Church near Kiesel Park at about 8:30 a.m.⁶ Officers identified Dabney, who was wearing the same distinctive dark Adidas shoes seen in the park surveillance footage and had visible scratches consistent with having walked through woods. A credit card belonging to Schnuelle was recovered from inside his underwear, along with $23 in his pocket.³

A fingerprint matching Dabney’s right thumb was found on the driver’s side rear door of Schnuelle’s truck, and witnesses picked him out of a six-person photo lineup as having been at Kiesel Park on the day of the killing.⁷ Schnuelle’s phone and jewelry, however, were not taken.⁸

Dabney listed a Montgomery address on his driver’s license, though Auburn police said he had previously given a local Auburn address during a prior police interaction.⁹¹⁰¹¹

The Charges and Where the Case Stands

Dabney faces two counts of capital murder. The first alleges he killed Schnuelle during the course of a robbery, using force against her and stealing her truck. The second alleges he kidnapped her with the intent to harm her.¹² He has been held without bond at the Lee County Jail since his arrest.⁶

A preliminary hearing was held on October 15, 2025, before Judge Jeffrey Gerald Tickal at the Lee County Justice Center. Auburn Police Detective Taylor Clark testified as the sole witness, walking through the surveillance footage, crime scene findings, autopsy results, and physical evidence. Judge Tickal found probable cause on both capital murder counts and bound the case over to a Lee County grand jury.⁷ At the hearing, detectives said DNA samples and other forensic material taken from Dabney’s residence, from socks found at his arrest site, and from under the victim’s fingernails were still being processed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.⁸

District Attorney Jessica Ventiere has said her office intends to seek the death penalty.² No trial date has been set, and the case awaits grand jury action.

Who Julie Gard Schnuelle Was

Schnuelle earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996 and returned to the college as a faculty member in 2003, joining the large animal section of the Department of Clinical Sciences. A board-certified theriogenologist who specialized in cattle reproduction, she was promoted to professor of theriogenology in 2015. Colleagues described her as an energetic, student-focused teacher who excelled at teaching reproductive diagnostics.¹³

After retiring from Auburn in 2021, she took a role with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the area veterinarian in charge for Alabama and Mississippi. Within 30 days of joining the USDA, she was deployed to respond to avian influenza outbreaks in Maryland and Delaware.¹⁴ She remained active with the veterinary school community in retirement.

How Auburn Has Honored Her

The killing shook Auburn. The attack occurred in broad daylight at a location widely regarded as one of the city’s safest and most popular public spaces, and residents described a shaken sense of security.⁹ Kiesel Park was closed through the weekend of September 6–7 to allow the investigation to proceed.⁶

On September 8, 2025, faculty and students gathered on the Auburn campus to remember her.¹³ A memorial service followed on September 13 at First Baptist Church of Opelika.¹⁵ The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine established the Julie Ann Gard Schnuelle Scholarship Fund to support future veterinary students who share her passion for the field.¹⁶

1
CBS News. Auburn Professor Stabbed to Death Walking Dog, Man Charged With Murder
2
Eagle Eye Auburn. Preliminary Hearing for Accused Murderer of Dr. Julie Schnuelle Scheduled
3
WTVM. Auburn Professor’s Murder Case Headed to Grand Jury After Gruesome Details Shared in Court
4
AL.com. Man Charged in Death of Auburn Veterinary Professor Expected to Appear in Court
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CNN. Retired Auburn Professor Killed at Park
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City of Auburn. Auburn Police Arrest Suspect in Kiesel Park Homicide
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The Plainsman. Court Moves Forward With Charges for the Murder of Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle
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WAKA. Preliminary Hearing Held for Suspect Accused of Killing Retired Auburn Professor
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WRBL. Montgomery Man Charged With Capital Murder in Attack of AU Professor at Kiesel Park
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WAKA. Suspect in Death of Retired Auburn University Professor Has Criminal History
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Fox News. Suspect in Murder of Retired College Professor Had Felony Charge Dropped in Prior Arrest
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Fox 10 TV. Man Kidnapped, Stole From Retired Auburn Professor Before Killing Her, Court Documents Say
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AVMA. Auburn Mourns Death of Beloved Veterinary Professor
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Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. A Lasting Legacy: Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle Honored With El Toro Award for Excellence in Food Animal Science
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Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home. Julie Ann Gard Schnuelle Obituary
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Auburn University Alumni. Remembering Dr. Julie Schnuelle, Vet Med Professor