Wisconsin Inmate Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Brutal Prison Cellmate Murder

Sanchez, 29, will spend the rest of her life in prison after beating her cellmate to death in 2023

A Wisconsin inmate has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal murder of her 68-year-old cellmate inside Taycheedah Correctional Institution.

Taylor Sanchez, 29, entered a no-contest plea last month in the killing of Cindy Schulz-Juedes, who was found dead in their shared prison cell in July 2023. At sentencing on Monday, Fond du Lac County Judge Tricia Walker described the attack as “wholly vicious.”

Schulz-Juedes was discovered by correctional staff lying in a pool of blood, with court documents revealing she suffered extensive injuries, including skull fractures "too numerous to count," 34 rib fractures, and multiple bruises and trauma throughout her body.

Sanchez was the only other person in the cell at the time. According to police reports, she claimed to be hearing voices instructing her to kill Schulz-Juedes. In a recorded phone call to her mother, Sanchez said she believed Schulz-Juedes had used her toothbrush to scrub the toilet and was tampering with her belongings. “I stopped taking my meds and I started hearing voices again,” Sanchez admitted.

Schulz-Juedes was serving a life sentence when she was beaten to death

Initially pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Sanchez changed her plea to no contest on June 30. She had been serving a two-year sentence for battery out of Kenosha County when the fatal assault occurred.

Prosecutors emphasized the severity of the attack and its implications for safety within the prison system. “This defendant brutally murdered her cellmate and created dangerous risks for other inmates and correctional officers,” said Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney. “Every victim matters, regardless of their status or if they are serving a criminal sentence.”

Toney added that the sentence should send a message about accountability behind bars. “We will continue to protect our correctional officers and all those within our community, regardless of where they reside.”

Schulz-Juedes was herself serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted in 2021 for the 2006 killing of her husband, Kenneth Juedes. She had been found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and obstruction. Prosecutors claimed Schulz-Juedes murdered her husband for financial gain, citing life insurance policies totaling more than $900,000. She reported finding his body the next morning, telling authorities she had slept in a camper outside their home the night of the shooting.