Death penalty sought for man accused of killing Auburn professor at park

AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) – Two bouquets of flowers tied to the front gate of Kiesel Park speak to the grief and pain now stunning the Auburn community. They honor Dr. Julee Gard Schnuelle, 59, the Auburn University professor and veterinarian whose life was cut short in what investigators describe as a brutal attack while she walked her dog around the popular community green space.

Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere will seek the death penalty against 28-year-old Harold Rashad Dabney III of Montgomery, who is charged with two counts of capital murder — murder during a kidnapping and murder during a robbery.

On Monday afternoon, Dabney appeared before Lee County District Judge Jeff Tickal for his 48/72-hour initial hearing. Wearing a black-and-white prison uniform, he told the judge he could not afford an attorney. Judge Tickal appointed Andrew Stanley and Arthur Vaughn to represent him.

No bond was granted. Dabney’s preliminary hearing is set for October 8 at 10:30 a.m. in Judge Tickal’s courtroom, where the judge will decide whether the case moves forward to a grand jury. Cameras were not allowed inside Monday’s hearing.

Investigators believe Dr. Schnuelle was walking her dog Saturday morning, September 6, when Dabney ambushed her along a park trail where he allegedly dragged her several hundred yards into the woods and stabbed her multiple times with a bladed object.

After the attack, investigators allege Dabney took Schnuelle’s keys and her red Ford F-150, driving away from the park. The truck was later found abandoned in a creek bed off County Road 137, which extends into Wire Road — less than five miles from Kiesel Park.

On Sunday morning, a 911 call about a suspicious person came in from Beehive Road, only about two miles from where the truck was dumped. Officers responded and arrested Dabney around 8:30 a.m.

Arrest warrants state Dabney inflicted the injuries that caused Dr. Schnuelle’s death with intent to do so, and that crime scene evidence tied him directly to the killing. 

Court documents list a home address on Dunford Avenue in Auburn, and during Monday’s hearing Dabney gave the Auburn address as his residence. However, investigators say his driver’s license lists a Montgomery address.

The only court cases WRBL could find  was for a 2016 speeding ticket in Montgomery. We located a December 2023 arrest in Virginia Beach on a weapons charge involving a sawed-off shotgun. WRBL has reached out to Virginia Beach Police for more information on the weapons case. We also found a registration of a short-lived trucking business, Excellent Carriage LLC, in Montgomery in 2024.

Dr. Julee Schnuelle was a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and professor remembered for her compassion and dedication. At Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she specialized in large animal and food animal medicine and was board-certified in theriogenology (animal reproduction). She was respected nationwide in the bovine veterinary community and mentored countless future veterinarians.