Shockwaves continue to ripple through the Loring Park neighborhood, following the violent murder of 66-year-old grocery worker and local artist Robert Skafte. Skafte was assaulted inside a grocery store by 44-year-old Taylor Justin Schulz, who used a golf club as a weapon during the attack. The incident, which was captured on the store's surveillance footage, has prompted a heartfelt petition and renewed calls for improved mental health resources in the state.
According to MPR News, Schulz was charged on Monday with second-degree murder. Details from the criminal complaint reveal a tragic scene, where Skafte, an actor and dancer known for his contributions to the Ballet of the Dolls and his earlier work with the Kansas City Ballet. The brutal nature of the crime has caused a visceral reaction amongst those who knew him and served to highlight gaps in the mental health care system.
Demonstrators gathered Thursday night to remember Skafte and to advocate for mental health reform. Speaking to CBS News Minnesota, Sue Abderholden, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota, pointed out the challenges within current legislation: "The way our laws are set up, until he really was at that point that he was a danger to self or others, there wasn't anything that could have been done." Friends of the victim expressed that Skafte himself would have advocated for better access to mental health treatment for all those in need.
Journalistic insights into Schulz's past encounters with mental illness are profound. Court records show Schulz was committed and treated for psychosis, and schizophrenia nearly three years ago. At that time, he expressed fear that his hallucinations might compel him to harm others. Despite a promise of reform and a $17 billion surplus last year, the Minnesota legislature failed to allocate even the $1 million requested to assist with such cases. Abderholden is set to request $2 million in the upcoming session, as the need for mental health resources continues to mount. "Imagine if we actually intervened early with intensity, we can make sure that these these serious illnesses aren't disabling," she told CBS News Minnesota.
Adding to the discourse, Eidem, a friend of Skafte, stressed the importance of destigmatizing mental health issues, "He would want the world to know that it's okay to seek treatment for mental illness and he would want everyone who's struggling to have somewhere to go," Eidem explained to CBS News Minnesota. Such sentiments underscore the collective mourning for a man who is remembered as much for his exuberant talent as for his tragic end. Schulz is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
