HAMILTON, Ohio (Court TV) — An man accused of stabbing his girlfriend 55 times is standing trial in Ohio.
FILE – Toby Madden (Ohio Dept. of Corrections)
Toby Madden faces murder and felonious assault charges in the Oct. 2022 death of Rachelle Brewsaugh at the couple’s home. According to prosecutors, the 50-year-old victim had been stabbed in the chest, abdomen, head, back, knees, arms, shoulders, and hands.
The couple had been together for 27 years at the time of Brewsaugh’s death. According to documents obtained by Court TV, neighbors reported that the couple had only moved into the house where Brewsaugh died a week before her death.
Madden, who has pled not guilty, told police that someone else killed Brewsaugh because the couple had confiscated drugs and there was a bounty on Madden’s head. Court records show that the Butler County Sheriff’s Office caught Madden with a suitcase of 316 grams of methamphetamine in Sept. 2021. He wasn’t indicted on the drug charge until Nov. 2022, shortly after he was arrested for Brewsaugh’s murder.
Madden, now 54, is already serving a prison sentence of 11-16.5 years on the drug charge involving the suitcase of meth. He took the stand in his defense at that trial.
Madden asked to represent himself at the murder trial, but a judge denied that request twice. The defendant, who has gone through at least six defense attorneys in the 23 months the case has been pending, has reportedly been disruptive in court. Back in March, Madden had to be forcibly removed from the courtroom after he threatened to assault his attorney.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 2 – 9/24/24
- Prosecutors play video of the defendant’s meltdown for jurors during testimony of the lead detective who said he heard the defendant tell his daughter, he was ‘responsible for what happened’ to her mother, that he ‘didn’t mean it,’ and begged her not to ‘hate him.’
- Defendant Toby Madden breaks down several times the most obvious display of emotion coming when prosecutors show a photo of his girlfriend’s blood-soaked body splayed across the floor covered in stab wounds.
- A patrol officer said she pulled the defendant from the body of Rachelle Brewsaugh after she walked in on him performing CPR when she was clearly dead.
- A neighbor testified she heard a scream coming from Rachelle Brewsaugh’s home while she was on her porch a few hours after she saw her sister’s grandson leave for school at 8:15 AM.
- Detective Robert Horton said the defendant was distraught and crying when he interviewed him on the day of the murder.
- Photographs he took of the defendant on the same day of the murder show scratches and redness on the defendant’s forearms and his chest.
- Defendant told him that he woke up and found his girlfriend – and told him there were 3 guys that the detective needed to go find
- WATCH: Toby Madden’s Neighbor Says She was Scared of Him
DAY 1 – 9/23/24
- Defendant has an emotional meltdown and says ‘I’m sorry’ to his daughter for the murder of her mother.
- Judge warns defendant that she will have him removed from the courtroom if there is another outburst.
- Prosecutor tells the jury in opening statement that the defendant apologized for the murder before they took their seats, telling them the defendant made a stabbing motion with his hand in front of an entire courtroom full of witnesses.
- Prosecutor suggests the hand motion references how the victim was killed – stabbed 55 times.
- Defense Attorney asks the judge to allow his client to watch the trial from somewhere other than the courtroom given his fragile emotional state upon seeing his family.
- WATCH: OH v. Toby Madden: Daughter of Defendant and Victim Testifies
