This is the story of two women whose crimes shocked even hardened investigators. Their names became synonymous with cruelty and betrayal, and both now sit on death row. One of them, Taylor Shabusiness, was convicted of a murder so brutal that it defies description.
The other, Tiffany Cole, was part of a conspiracy that ended with two elderly people buried alive. These are their stories.
Before the violence, before the trials, and long before the death sentences, both women led lives that gave no clear warning of what was to come. But the choices they made, and the company they kept, set them on a collision course with tragedy.
The first case begins with a judge giving Taylor Shabusiness a final chance to speak before sentencing. The courtroom was silent, waiting. The judge addressed her directly.
So, Ms. Shabusiness, this is your opportunity to address me if theres anything on your mind youd like to say before I pass sentence.
Taylor Shabusiness had very little to say in that moment. No, there isnt, she replied. But when she did speak, her words were not an apology.
They were a plea for her own life. Im not asking for justice, but rather mercy. The same mercy that God has continues to give me.
I believe that there are many more people that I can reach out to with Gods guidance and your mercy.
There was no remorse in her voice. No acknowledgment of the man whose life she had taken. No mention of the mother who had walked into a nightmare and discovered what remained of her son.
There was only the request for mercy for herself.
To understand how Taylor Shabusiness ended up in that courtroom, you have to go back to the beginning. Before the murder, before the dismemberment, she presented herself as someone entirely different. Hi, Im Taylor Shabusiness and Im a very hardworking, dedicated individual thats broke and really needs money to help get that swirl on.
So, if you could please donate to this GoFundMe page, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
She looks harmless in that video. Eager, even. A young woman down on her luck, asking strangers for help.
But the voice you are about to hear next belongs to the same person. And it reveals a darkness that no GoFundMe page could ever fix.
I took a chain, I put it around his neck, and I asked him again, Where my money at? He didnt respond. His face turned purple.
There was blood coming out of his mouth. I sucked his dick and cut his head off at the same time cuz the only SD that I would ever be doing would be sucking.
Her name became widely known, not only because of the brutality of the crime itself, but because of her behavior afterward. During court proceedings, she attacked her own attorney, disrupted hearings, and ultimately required physical restraints and increased security inside the courtroom. She made it impossible for the proceedings to continue in any normal fashion.
Officers surrounded her at all times, and still she fought.
But the case did not begin in the courtroom. It began long before, in the chaotic and 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔-filled life that Taylor Shabusiness had built for herself. She lived in Wisconsin and was heavily involved in 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 use, especially methamphetamine.
The people around her were deeply connected to crime, and her relationships were unstable and turbulent. After giving birth, she lost custody of her child, which marked a major turning point in her life. From that point on, her situation deteriorated further.
She moved frequently, had constant legal issues, and her instability escalated with each passing month.
By early 2022, she was under supervision and wearing an ankle monitor. The system was trying to keep track of her. But that did not stop what was about to happen.
On February 23rd, 2022, she went to meet a man she knew. They went to his mothers home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Inside the house, they used methamphetamine together and engaged in sexual activity.
At some point that night, she placed a chain around his neck and strangled him.
She later gave her own account of what happened. I was on the run in Texas after having my baby taken. I decided to make things right and clear up north when I got back.
They put me on the bracelet. I went to buy a bag on the low. So, I went to my ex who was a Saint Disciple and family.
We all land kings. So, we deep in. We dont deal with SDs.
I gave him a hundo for the bag and the bag was $50. He pocketed the cash. Me and him and another homie all smoked up and then my homie left and I went to drop off that bag and he wanted before I left.
So, I went into the basement and he went and pulled out two chains. I asked him, Where my money at, fool? and he said, I aint got it.
So, I took a chain, I put it around his neck, and I asked him again, Where my money at?
The act continued until he lost consciousness and died. But she was not finished. She remained in the house for an extended period of time after the killing.
While she was there, she dismembered the body and attempted to conceal parts of the remains. She did not run immediately. She stayed, working in that house, doing things that no human being should ever do to another.
The next morning, the victims mother walked into something she was entirely unprepared for. She had no idea what had happened in her own home. What she found inside the house was beyond anything she could have expected, and it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Police arrived and quickly identified Taylor Shabusiness as the primary suspect.
Body camera footage captured the scene as officers searched the home. Did you both see this? I opened the towel, I picked up the towel, and I dropped it cuz I dont know what the hell it is, man.
I had that vision and she like, Is that what I think it is? And I dont know. What the hell is this?
For Edmond 32 cent. Quite a bit of blood down here. I went through the rest of this house.
Weve got two people in this house for sure.
After the crime, Taylor Shabusiness moved to another part of Green Bay. She borrowed a minivan, and it was in that minivan where body parts were later found. Police located her shortly after the remains were discovered.
She was taken into custody, and the case against her began to build.
The footage from her arrest shows a woman who seemed detached from the gravity of what she had done. Officers asked her routine questions, trying to secure the scene. Um, is this blood?
Does this look like blood to you? Am I just tripping? Bloody footprints?
You see this right here? The officers were careful, methodical. They knew they were dealing with something horrific.
Hi, Taylor. Hows it going? Officer Russell with the Green Bay Police Department.
Taylor, you have one more fear. You have one more fear. Can you get your bag for me?
Anybody else in your apartment? You got to go in here. Go in here.
He took him out. He took him out. Woo!
Following her arrest, the case quickly drew national attention. The details were so grotesque that they dominated headlines for weeks. During the trial, her behavior became impossible to ignore.
She was erratic and aggressive, disrupting the proceedings at every opportunity. At one point, she lunged at her own defense attorney in open court, forcing deputies to intervene physically. I’m telling you, I will give this woman credit.
She is very creative. Very creative. STOP NOW.
STOP RESISTING. STOP. STOP RESISTING!
After that incident, she appeared in restraints with officers around her at all times. The courtroom became a fortress, all because of one woman’s inability to control her rage.
Her defense pursued an insanity plea, arguing that severe 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 use and psychological instability had impaired her ability to understand or control her actions. Psychologists testified about her mental state. Her history of methamphetamine 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 was laid out in detail.
The defense argued that she simply was not in her right mind.
Prosecutors argued the opposite. They pointed to her actions after the killing, including the dismemberment and concealment, as evidence of awareness and intent. They argued that she knew exactly what she was doing, and that her actions after the murder showed a clear understanding of right and wrong.
She tried to hide the evidence. She tried to escape. That is not the behavior of someone who lacks control.
The jury ultimately rejected the insanity defense. The verdict was read, and the courtroom fell silent. The crime offends human decency, it offends human dignity, and it offends the human community.
It really does. When someone loses their life needlessly, its tragic. Its tragic for family and friends and community.
When life is taken by a person in the fashion that it was in this case, where the victims remains are cut up and packaged in containers, its difficult to identify a human nature in those activities. Its very troubling.
She was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide along with additional charges related to mutilation of a corpse and postmortem 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮. The judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of release. She will never be free again.
And still, her attitude did not change. I’d like to be still slaying on my shit on the street, but you know, over here its all right.
That was Taylor Shabusiness. But this story does not end with her. This is also the story of Tiffany Cole.
And her story is different in every way, except for the ending.
This story does not start with Tiffany. It starts decades earlier, with two people who fell in love when they were young. Carol and Reggie were high school classmates in South Carolina who fell in love in the early 1960s.
They were young and inseparable, and like many first loves, it didn’t last. They went their separate ways, and for a long time, they had no idea they would ever see each other again. They had no idea they would meet again decades later under very different circumstances.
Reggie joined the US Navy. He traveled the world, married and divorced, and eventually returned home to South Carolina where he found work on the railroad. He rebuilt his life.
Carols life took a far darker turn. She married, divorced, and later survived a violent incident involving her estranged husband. That incident left her with serious, lasting injuries.
Carol survived, but with permanent injuries and chronic pain. Still, she kept going.
Years later, Carol and Reggie reconnected after decades apart and quickly grew close. They realized they lived near each other and agreed to meet. The feelings came back instantly.
It was as if no time had passed at all. Not long after, Carol and Reggie were married. Soon after, they moved to Jacksonville, Florida to retire together and finally have the peaceful life they had been denied for so long.
For the first time, it felt like they had finally made it.
In July 2005, Carol suddenly stopped answering the phone. At first, her daughter Rhonda was not alarmed. People get busy.
They forget to call. But after a full day passed with no answer from either Carol or Reggie, worry began to set in. Reggie was in poor health and had limited mobility.
There was no reason the two of them would disappear without telling anyone. They were homebodies. They never missed calls.
After nearly 72 hours of silence, Rhonda drove to Jacksonville to check on them herself. When she arrived, their car was gone. She knocked on the door.
No answer. The lights were on inside. She tried the front door.
It was unlocked. She stepped inside, and something was wrong. Their dog was still there, pacing and anxious.
Food sat abandoned on plates. Pots remained on the stove. Dirty dishes filled the sink.
It looked like they had simply vanished in the middle of a meal.
And then Rhonda saw the details that made the truth impossible to ignore. Their phone was still inside the house. Carols purse was still there.
And beside it sat both of their medications. There was no way they had left on purpose. Not like this.
Not without their medicine. Not without Carols purse. Rhonda called the police immediately.
Police were called, and the case quickly gained attention. But there were almost no leads. The couple had simply disappeared.
Their car was eventually found abandoned in a secluded area, but there was no sign of Carol or Reggie. Then came a strange phone call that changed everything.
Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. Hi, you know, how are you doing? Fine.
Reggie Sumner. Um, Im not a child. My wife right now her sister passed away.
And um, my neighbor just called me and said that um, my or, not excuse me, this morning my neighbor called me and told me that my car was missing and the garage door was open. That your car was missing? Yes, ma’am.
We have two vehicles. We have a old pickup truck and we have a Lincoln. Uh, older or its not really that old.
A Lincoln Town Car. Okay, do you know your tag number by heart? Uh, no, ma’am.
All the information is in the house. Can you hang on 1 second for me? Yes.
Hang on. Im going to put you on hold, okay, sir? Yes.
Okay, sir, who called you? Your neighbor? Yes, Shirley.
Okay. Shes not really my neighbor, but she lives in that neighborhood and were friends with her. Okay, and whose car is it?
Its registered under me. And your, what is your first name? Uh, its James.
James Sumner? Yes, ma’am. Okay.
What, what is the address where it was at? Its 22015 Reed Avenue. Okay.
Can you hang on 1 second for me? Yes. Okay.
Who lives there? Do you live there? Me and my wife, yeah.
You and your wife? Whats your wifes name? Carol.
Carol. Hang on 1 second, sir, okay? Yes.
A caller claiming to be Reggie told police that the reports were false and that they were safe. But investigators immediately knew the call was not real. There was something off about the voice.
The pacing was wrong. The details did not match. When Rhonda listened to the recording, she said immediately, Thats not my mother and thats not Reggie.
Now police knew for certain. Whoever made that call likely had something to do with the disappearance. They were either trying to throw off the investigation, or they were taunting the family.
Either way, it was a clue.
Then investigators checked the Sumners bank activity. Their ATM card had been used after they vanished. Surveillance footage showed a young man withdrawing money.
That led them to a rental car, and the rental car led them to a name. Tiffany Cole.
When police tracked the rental car to a motel in South Carolina, they hoped they might find Carol and Reggie alive. They did not. Instead, inside the motel room were Tiffany Cole, her boyfriend Michael Jackson, and an associate named Alan Wade.
The room was full of newly purchased items. Electronics. Clothes.
Things that cost money. Police also found the key to the Sumners car and Reggies belongings. At that point, it was obvious these people were involved.
Under questioning, Tiffany admitted they had robbed the couple, but she claimed that was all. She tried to minimize her involvement. She tried to make it sound like a simple robbery gone wrong.
Then police picked up the fourth accomplice, a man named Bruce Nixon. And Bruce Nixon broke. He told them everything.
Because this was not a random robbery. Tiffany had once lived near Carol and Reggie in South Carolina. The Sumners had treated her like family.
They had welcomed her into their home. They had shown her kindness. Years earlier, they had even sold her a car at a very low price.
They thought they were helping someone they cared about.
Then, in June 2005, Tiffany and her boyfriend Michael contacted the couple while they were in Jacksonville. The Sumners, ever trusting, allowed them into their home. During that visit, they learned something dangerous.
The couple had nearly $100,000 saved from selling their home. That knowledge planted a seed.
Soon after, Tiffany Cole and her accomplices began planning the robbery. It was cold and calculated. On July 8th, two of the men, Bruce and Alan, went to the Sumners house under a pretense and were let inside.
Once inside, they restrained both Carol and Reggie. They were elderly. They were vulnerable.
They had no way to fight back. Michael later joined them, and the group robbed the house while Tiffany waited nearby. They took everything of value.
They demanded bank details and PIN numbers. The couple gave them everything.
After the robbery, the victims were placed into the trunk of their own car. They were driven to a remote wooded area in Georgia where a grave had already been prepared. It was not a last-minute decision.
They had dug it in advance. Carol and Reggie Sumner were taken to the edge of that grave. They had given them everything.
Money, bank details, anything they asked for. It did not matter.
One after the other, they were pushed into the hole. And then the attackers began to cover the grave. They shoveled dirt onto two living, breathing human beings.
Afterward, the group drove away, abandoned the car, and used the Sumners bank cards to buy electronics, including a computer, along with clothes and other items. That is what they killed them for.
When the bodies were recovered, the medical examiner found soil in their airways. The evidence was conclusive. Carol and Reggie Sumner were still alive as they were buried.
They had inhaled the dirt as it was thrown on top of them. They had struggled to breathe as the earth filled their lungs. The cruelty of that moment is impossible to comprehend.
Bruce Nixon avoided the death penalty by leading investigators to the grave site and cooperating with police. He gave them everything they needed to secure convictions. Michael Jackson, Alan Wade, and Tiffany Cole were all sentenced to death.
At her sentencing, Tiffany Cole stood before the judge and said the same words that Taylor Shabusiness had used. Judge Weatherby, Im not asking for justice, but rather mercy. The same mercy that God has continues to give me.
I believe that there are many more people that I can reach out to with Gods guidance and your mercy.
Tiffany Cole has spent years appealing her sentence, arguing she should not be executed because she did not personally carry out the killings. She argues that she was not the one who pushed the victims into the grave. She claims her role was less direct.
But the court found that she helped plan it and knew exactly what could happen. She was an architect of the crime, not a bystander. She remains on death row.
And yet, none of that is what makes this case so haunting. It is the betrayal. Carol and Reggie trusted Tiffany.
They saw her as family. They helped her when she needed it, and she repaid them by having them buried alive.
Two young, evil women. They made their choice. Now, there is no way out.