30-07-2025
Wife of Minnesota DOC commissioner pleads guilty in attempt to kill their vulnerable adult son
Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnel's wife, who is accused of trying to kill their vulnerable adult son by drug overdose, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, court documents reveal.
Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell, 65, was charged with first-degree murder last August. Charges say an investigation began in June last year after the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office learned of an attempted homicide at a Vadnais Heights group home in December 2023.
Myhre-Schnell allegedly told multiple people that she tried to kill her son by putting anxiety medication in his feeding bag "hoping he would go to sleep forever." When investigators spoke to Myhre-Schnell last June, charges say she admitted to putting crushed up Lorazepam pills into a "slurry" of water to bring to her son's facility.
According to the complaint, Myhre-Schnell put the mixture into her son's feeding bag on Dec. 3, 2023. He was taken to the hospital the next day due to "altered mental status, decreased level of responsiveness, and hypotension."
After obtaining a search warrant, authorities confirmed Myhre-Schnell had refilled her Lorazepam prescription two days before the crime, charges say. Investigators also collected screenshots of Myhre-Schnell's messages to family members where she allegedly confessed to the crime.
Court documents show that she texted her son in early August 2024, confessing she tried to kill him. He told investigators, "It was heavy," and "It's a lot to process."
Myhre-Schnell's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Cole Premo
contributed to this report.
