The trial of a murder suspect who is said to have stabbed his long-time girlfriend 55 times begins on Monday

The video is from an earlier story

HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX) – A murder suspect accused of brutally killing his longtime girlfriend by stabbing her 55 times is in court Monday in Butler County.

Toby Madden, 52, is charged with two counts each of murder and aggravated assault in connection with the killing of 50-year-old Rachelle Brewsaugh in Hamilton in October 2022.

According to court records, she was his girlfriend for 27 years.

Hamilton Police found her dead on the floor of a home on Parrish Avenue near Hensley Avenue on October 11, 2022.

According to the autopsy report, she suffered stab wounds to the head, chest, abdomen, upper back, left knee, and both sides of her arms, shoulders and hands.

Madden was declared competent to stand trial in August 2023, but court records show the case has been postponed several times.

He complained about and fired his various lawyers, five of whom were appointed by the court.

Earlier this month, Madden attempted to fire his sixth attorney and delay the trial again by attempting to represent himself.

Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer McElfresh had already ruled against the same motion in January.

This time, Madden's attorney withdrew the motion two weeks after it was filed.

Additional security measures may be required for the hearing.

The judge removed Madden from the courtroom in March after he continued to yell despite being asked to stop. Officers then attempted to escort him out of the courtroom.

He recently chose to begin an 11-year sentence in state prison after being convicted of drug possession in another case, although he appealed the verdict and could have remained in the Butler County Jail since his murder trial begins so soon after.

However, court records show that Madden also complained about alleged “problems” at the prison and with staff.

According to court records, the Butler County Sheriff's Office caught him in 2021 with a suitcase full of over 300 grams of methamphetamine.

An appeals filing shows that officers seized the meth but did not arrest Madden in the hope that he would cooperate with them as a confidential informant and eventually tell them how he got the drug.

However, he never contacted them again and they eventually charged him with drug possession.

When Madden investigated his girlfriend's murder, Hamilton police said someone else committed the murder because there was a bounty on his head for the drugs.

He has been in Chillicothe State Prison since June, but was recently transferred back to Butler County Jail for this trial.

According to court records, he had already been convicted of aggravated assault in 1988 and was serving a sentence of three to 15 years in a maximum security prison in Mansfield.

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