Taylor Sanchez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release for killing her cellmate at Wisconsin’s Taycheedah Correctional Institution. Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Tricia Walker handed down the sentence on July 28, 2025, after Sanchez pleaded no contest to first-degree intentional homicide in the July 2023 beating death of 68-year-old Cindy Schulz-Juedes. Sanchez was 27 at the time of the killing and had been serving a two-year sentence for battery.
What Happened in the Cell
On July 19, 2023, correctional officers found Schulz-Juedes dead on the floor of cell 410, in a pool of blood.1Spectrum News 1. Taylor Sanchez Beats Cellmate to Death Sanchez and Schulz-Juedes were the only two people inside. Witnesses reported hearing what sounded like fighting, with consecutive strikes that lasted up to two minutes.2WBAY. Sanchez to Be Sentenced Monday for Killing Cellmate at Taycheedah
Sanchez beat the older woman with her hands and feet. An autopsy documented 34 rib fractures, a broken clavicle, and head injuries described as “too numerous to count.”2WBAY. Sanchez to Be Sentenced Monday for Killing Cellmate at Taycheedah In a recorded call to her mother afterward, Sanchez said she had stopped taking her psychiatric medication and was hearing voices. She said she believed Schulz-Juedes had been using her toothbrush to clean the toilet and was “messing with” her.3FOX 11. Taylor Sanchez No-Contest Plea in Cellmate Murder She told officers directly, “I was hearing voices telling me to kill her.”4WBAY. Inmate Accused of Killing Cellmate Found Guilty of First-Degree Intentional Homicide
How the Case Moved Through Court
Prosecutors charged Sanchez on January 23, 2024, with a single count of first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony that carries a mandatory life sentence under Wisconsin law.5Civic Media. Taylor Sanchez Criminal Complaint Bond was set at $1 million.6WSAW. Inmate Accused of Killing Cindy Schulz-Juedes to Make First Court Appearance
Sanchez initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The first court-appointed psychiatrist never met with her, which forced Judge Walker to order a new evaluation in January 2025.7FOX 11. Judge Orders New Psychiatric Evaluation for Taycheedah Inmate The completed report concluded there was “not evidence to support the plea,” and the defense did not seek a second opinion.8FOX 11. Taycheedah Inmate Faces July Trial After Insanity Plea Rejected
With trial approaching, Sanchez withdrew her insanity plea on June 30, 2025, and pleaded no contest to first-degree intentional homicide. The plea carries the same legal weight as a guilty verdict without a formal admission of guilt.9CBS News Minnesota. Wisconsin Women’s Prison Inmate Taylor Sanchez Life Sentence Cellmate Murder Judge Walker revoked her bond and set sentencing for the following month.4WBAY. Inmate Accused of Killing Cellmate Found Guilty of First-Degree Intentional Homicide
The Sentencing Hearing
At the July 28 hearing, Sanchez, then 29, addressed the court. “I wish I could take it all back. I feel terrible about what happened. I wasn’t myself,” she said, asking for a sentence that would leave open the possibility of eventual release. “I hope you can see the progress that I’ve made and see that I am capable of change.”2WBAY. Sanchez to Be Sentenced Monday for Killing Cellmate at Taycheedah
Judge Walker refused. “This was an attack that was wholly vicious,” she said, imposing life without eligibility for release.10FOX 11. Woman Sentenced to Life for Cellmate’s Murder at Taycheedah Sanchez’s public defender, Michael Queensland, did not respond to media requests for comment.9CBS News Minnesota. Wisconsin Women’s Prison Inmate Taylor Sanchez Life Sentence Cellmate Murder
Who Cindy Schulz-Juedes Was
Schulz-Juedes was herself serving life without parole when she was killed. A Marathon County jury convicted her in October 2021 of first-degree intentional homicide in the 2006 shooting death of her husband, Kenneth Juedes, a pharmacist found shot twice in his bed at their home in the town of Hull.11Wisconsin Public Radio. Widow Arrested 13 Years After Husband’s Homicide in Central Wisconsin The case had gone unsolved for more than 13 years. Prosecutors said she arranged the killing to collect nearly $1 million in life insurance and property proceeds.12Wausau Pilot and Review. Life Without Parole for Woman Convicted in Husband’s Slaying She was sentenced in June 2022 and was appealing her conviction when Sanchez killed her.13Wausau Pilot and Review. Woman Convicted in Marathon County Cold Case Murder Dies in Prison
Conditions at Taycheedah
Taycheedah is Wisconsin’s only maximum-security women’s prison. As of May 2026, the facility was designed for 653 inmates but held 1,039, and Wisconsin’s women’s prisons collectively ran 78 percent over capacity.14MinnPost. Wisconsin’s Prison Population Is Heading Toward a Record High Officials had warned for years that the rising population could cause security problems, and spaces not meant for housing, including a former property room, had been converted into dormitories. In February 2025, two incarcerated women at Taycheedah died following hospitalizations linked to a respiratory illness outbreak, prompting a lockdown and criticism over medical care at the facility.15Wisconsin Public Radio. Deaths of Women Incarcerated at Taycheedah Prison