In a quiet corner of Auburn, Alabama, the serene surroundings of Kiesel Park, a place typically filled with the laughter of families and the joyful barks of dogs, became the setting for a horrific crime, via Harold Rashad Dabney III, that has left an entire community grappling with shock and grief. On the morning of September 6, 2025, Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, a retired Auburn University professor known for her warmth and dedication to veterinary medicine, was brutally killed while walking her dog. Within a day, police arrested the 28-year-old, charging him with two counts of capital murder in a case that has raised as many questions as it has answers.
Dabney, whose background includes ties to both Montgomery and Auburn, now sits in the Lee County Jail without bond. The swiftness of his arrest, coming just hours after Dr. Schnuelle’s body was discovered, belies the complexity of the investigation and the gravity of the charges he faces. As the judicial process begins, the community is left to piece together how such a senseless act could occur in their beloved park and what might have driven a young man with a seemingly ordinary past to allegedly commit an extraordinary crime.
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A Life Cut Short and a Suspect in Custody
Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle was a fixture in Auburn’s academic and community circles. Having dedicated nearly two decades to Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she was described by former students as “spunky,” “welcoming,” and deeply committed to mentoring future veterinarians. On that fateful Saturday morning, she was doing something she loved: walking her dog in Kiesel Park, a place she visited regularly. Tragically, her routine outing ended in violence. Authorities say she suffered fatal sharp-force injuries, likely from a knife, and her red Ford F-150 truck was stolen from the scene.
NEW: Former Auburn professor hacked to death while taking her dog on a walk in Kiesel Park in Alabama.
59-year-old Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle was allegedly killed by suspect Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, who is accused of stealing her truck after taking her life.
The dog was… pic.twitter.com/4zhDiWDRKo
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 8, 2025
The investigation moved quickly. The following morning, police responded to a call about a suspicious person near Beehive Road, just a few miles from the park. There, they encountered Harold Rashad Dabney III. Officers noted details that linked him to the homicide, and after further investigation, he was arrested and charged. Dr. Schnuelle’s truck was later recovered on Wire Road, abandoned but providing critical evidence. Dabney’s motives remain unclear, and police have not disclosed whether he knew Dr. Schnuelle or if the attack was random. What is known is that the charges against him—capital murder during a kidnapping and capital murder during a robbery—reflect the brutal nature of the crime.
Unraveling the Mystery of Harold Rashad Dabney III
So who is Harold Rashad Dabney III? Public records paint a fragmented picture of a man whose life had recently involved brushes with law enforcement and entrepreneurial aspirations. Originally from Montgomery, Dabney had at least one prior encounter with the legal system: in December 2023, he was booked in Virginia Beach on a weapons charge related to a sawed-off shotgun. By September 2024, he had ventured into business, founding Excellent Carriage LLC, a trucking company based in Montgomery. The company, which listed a broad range of services from freight hauling to farm supplies, never fully got off the ground. It obtained a federal USDOT number but failed to secure the necessary authority to operate across state lines.
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Dabney’s connections to Auburn add another layer of complexity. While police initially identified him as a Montgomery resident, court records list an Auburn address on Dunford Avenue. Assistant Police Chief Mike Harris explained that Dabney had provided this local address during a prior misdemeanor incident, though his driver’s license still registered in Montgomery. This ambiguity leaves unanswered questions about his ties to the area and what might have brought him to Kiesel Park that Saturday morning. As of September 10, 2025, no trial date has been set, and the investigation remains active. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing that the public’s vigilance has already been instrumental in the case.
The tragedy has reverberated far beyond Auburn. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville and his wife expressed their devastation, echoing the sentiments of a community struggling to make sense of the loss. For Dr. Schnuelle’s family, friends, and colleagues, the pain is immeasurable. For Harold Rashad Dabney III, the legal process will unfold in the weeks and months ahead, determining his fate and perhaps providing some closure to a story that has left a permanent scar on everyone it touched.
