Montgomery man arrested for capital murder of Auburn veterinary professor

Jim Zeigler

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September 7, 2025

(Lee County Jail, Auburn University, YHN)

It took Auburn police less than 24 hours to identify and arrest a suspect in the Saturday death of a woman walking her dog in an Auburn park.

Harold Rashad Dabney III of Montgomery was charged with two counts of capital murder after retired Auburn Professor Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle was found dead in Kiesel Park Saturday afternoon.

Around 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Auburn police responded to a report of a suspicious person near the 2300 block of Beehive Road.

At the scene, police were able to confirm Dabney as the suspect and arrest him. He was taken to the Lee County Jail and is being held without bond.

Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, was found dead Saturday about 2:07 p.m. in Auburn’s Kiesel Park.

She had been walking her dog in the park, and her body was spotted by a passerby who called 9-1-1.

Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected].