Prosecutors to seek maximum sentence against wife of DOC commissioner who tried to kill vulnerable adult son

Prosecutors intend to ask the court for a maximum sentence against Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell — the estranged wife of Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell — who faces one count of attempted first-degree murder after prosecutors say she tried to kill her son, who is a vulnerable adult.

The maximum sentence for attempted first-degree murder is 20 years. Prosecutors say the aggravating factor they intend to present to the sentencing jury is that the victim was “particularly vulnerable due to age, infirmity, or reduced physical or mental capacity, which was known or should have been known to the offender.”

As previously reported, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office got a report on June 13 of an attempted murder that occurred in December at a group home in Vadnais Heights.

Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell, 64, reportedly told multiple people that she had put anxiety medication in her vulnerable adult son’s feeding bag “hoping he would go to sleep forever.” She later admitted this to investigators.

She said she had visited her son on Dec. 3, 2023, at his group home after refilling her Lorazepam prescription at the beginning of the month, receiving 31 pills. She told investigators she crushed up the pills and mixed them with water to create a “slurry” to bring to the group home, court documents state.

Her son was brought to the hospital on Dec. 4 and was diagnosed with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. A doctor told police that symptoms of a Lorazepam overdose would include the individual being very sleepy and possible breathing suppression. The hospital did not do toxicology on the victim’s blood.

On Aug. 6, she texted her son and admitted to trying to kill him, court documents state.

When asked his reaction to the news, the victim said, “I made it; I’m still here,” but later admitted that his mother’s confession was “heavy” and “a lot to process.”

Order for protection

Court records show that Paul Scnhell filed an order for protection for his son against Myhre-Schnell on June 22.

The court document also notes that Myhre-Schnell attempted suicide in May and was hospitalized. During her hospitalization, her sister called Schnell and said that Myhre-Schnell admitted that she had tried to cause her son to overdose in December.

Schnell then reported the information he received from her sister regarding the attempted overdose to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Myhre-Schnell reportedly said she hoped he would “sleep forever” because he ended up being “tortured” through the treatment of kidney stones and related infections, the documents state.

Paul Schnell is the sole legal guardian of their son and after learning of Myhre-Schnell’s confession, told his son’s group home that she wasn’t allowed to visit without his prior approval, and all visits must be supervised.