Wife Of MN DOC Commissioner Tried To Kill Son With Disability: Police

VADNAIS HEIGHTS, MN — The wife of Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell is accused of attempting to kill their adult son — who has disabilities and lives in a group home — by putting drugs in his feeding bag.

Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell was charged Thursday with one count of first-degree attempted murder (premeditated). If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Julie and Paul Schnell are in the process of getting a divorce.

On June 13, 2024, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an attempted homicide that had occurred on Dec. 3, 2023, at a group home in Vadnais Heights.

Myhre-Schnell admitted to multiple people that she attempted to kill her vulnerable adult son by putting her anxiety medication in his feeding bag, "hoping he would go to sleep forever," according to the criminal complaint.

On June 15, a deputy interviewed Myhre-Schnell, who admitted she did attempt to kill her son in December 2023, according to prosecutors.

Myhre-Schnell said she refilled her Lorazepam prescription at the beginning of the month and received 31 pills, the criminal complaint states.

Myhre-Schnell crushed up Lorazepam pills and put them into a "slurry" of water in a container to bring to the facility, according to authorities.

Myhre-Schnell visited her son's group home on Dec. 3 and emptied the container into her son's feeding bag, the criminal complaint states.

"The whole time, I knew I was gonna try to do this," she admitted to the deputy, according to the criminal complaint. "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."

When asked how she felt upon finding out her son lived, Myhre-Schnell said she "completely regretted he survived," according to authorities.

Myhre-Schnell's son was hospitalized on Dec. 4 due to his altered mental status, decreased level of responsiveness, and hypotension. No toxicology was completed on his blood by the hospital, investigators said.

A deputy spoke to the family members who received confessions from Myhre-Schnell, with each one confirming receiving a message where she admitted to attempting to kill her son, the criminal complaint states.

On Aug. 6, 2024, Myhre-Schnell texted her son and confessed that she put her medicine in his feeding bag hoping he would "go to sleep forever," according to police.

Myhre-Schnell's son texted back that he was "on the fence" about deleting her number, the criminal complaint states.

When police asked Myhre-Schnell's son about how he was feeling after learning about what happened, he responded, "I made it, I’m still here."