MINNEAPOLIS — A Hennepin County judge has found 47-year-old Taylor Schulz not guilty by reason of mental illness in the 2023 killing of longtime Minneapolis community member and grocery store cashier Robert Skafte.
The ruling stems from the Dec. 8, 2023 killing of Skafte, 66, who worked at Oak Grove Grocery in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors alleged Schulz attacked Skafte with a golf club, killing him.
Schulz was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree intentional murder.
According to court records reported by KSTP, Schulz was found incompetent to stand trial three times before his competency was restored in November 2025.
During a hearing in June, Schulz waived his right to a jury trial and agreed to have a judge decide the case.
Court documents filed Thursday show the judge determined prosecutors had proven the elements of both murder charges beyond a reasonable doubt. That included findings that Schulz acted with intent to kill and that the killing was premeditated.
However, the court separately determined Schulz was suffering from severe mental illness when the killing occurred.
The judge found that because of his mental condition, Schulz did not understand the nature of his actions or that what he was doing was wrong.
Schulz was therefore found not guilty by reason of mental illness on both counts.
The ruling is different from a finding that prosecutors failed to prove the underlying conduct. The court determined the elements of the offenses were established but also determined that Schulz qualified for the mental-illness defense.
The court ordered Schulz civilly committed as mentally ill and dangerous.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Schulz will be committed indefinitely to the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter.
Skafte was a longtime member of Minneapolis’ Loring Park community. He was known locally for his work as an artist, gardener and neighborhood advocate.
The case now moves from the criminal proceedings into the civil commitment process following the court’s ruling.
