Charges: Wife of DOC commissioner put pills in vulnerable adult son’s feeding bag, trying to make him ‘go to sleep forever’

The estranged wife of Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell has been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder after prosecutors say she tried to kill her son, who is a vulnerable adult.

According to a criminal complaint, 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.”

Myhre-Schnell admitted to investigators on June 15 that she had, in fact, tried to kill her son.

She said she had visited her son on Dec. 3 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.

Myhre-Schnell said she then emptied the slurry into her son’s feeding bag that night prior to leaving.

In an interview with authorities, she reportedly said, “The whole time, I knew I was gonna try to do this” and “All night, I was like, ‘am I really doing this? Am I doing this? Am I doing this? I can’t believe
I’m doing this.'” She also admitted being worried about going to jail, court documents state.

When investigators asked how she felt learning that her son would survive, she reportedly stated that she was worried about authorities finding out through toxicology and that she was going to go to jail.

She told investigators that she “completely regretted he survived.”

According to court documents, she never went back to visit her son — she previously visited him at least weekly.

The woman’s 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.

Myhre-Schnell also sent messages to family members, admitting to trying to kill her son, court documents state.

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

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.”

When asked for a response, Paul Schnell stated, “It would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”

Court records show that he 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.