Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell (Ramsey County Jail)
VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. (KFGO) – The estranged wife of Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell is in custody Thursday and charged with attempted murder after she allegedly tried to kill their adult son, who is a vulnerable adult, last year.
Thursday, prosecutors in Ramsey County charged Julie Myhre-Schnell, 64, of St. Paul, with one count of attempted 1st-degree murder in connection with an alleged premeditated attempt on their son’s life on Dec. 3, 2023.
According to the criminal complaint, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office investigators learned in June that Myhre-Schnell had admitted to multiple people that she tried to kill her son by putting anxiety medication in his feeding bag “hoping he would go to sleep forever.”
The son, who is now 33, has spina bifida and other conditions that require around-the-clock care.
The criminal complaint states that an investigator spoke to Myhre-Schnell after learning about her confessions.
During the interview, Myhre-Schnell allegedly admitted she had attempted to kill her son with pills from her Lorazepam prescription.
According to the complaint, Myhre-Schnell allegedly said she crushed the pills and put them into a “slurry” of water, carried the container it into a Vadnais Heights group home where her son lives and emptied the container into her son’s feeding bag before leaving for the night.
The charge states Myhre-Schnell told the investigator: “The whole time, I knew I was gonna try to do this.”
She allegedly continued: “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 the investigator asked Myhre-Schnell how she felt that her son survived, she allegedly responded: “I was worried about them finding out through the toxicology, and I was probably trying to figure out what I’m going to do. I’m just going to go to jail.”
Myhre-Schnell also allegedly stated she “completely regretted he survived.”
According to the complaint, she never again visited her son after the incident.
Investigators learned that the victim had been hospitalized Dec. 4 due to his altered mental status, decreased level of responsiveness and low blood pressure.
There were no toxicology tests performed at the hospital and the victim was diagnosed with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
According to the complaint, the investigator spoke to a doctor about the expected symptoms of a Lorazepam overdose and learned symptoms could include sleepiness and breathing suppression.
The investigator also collected screenshots of text messages Myhre-Schnell allegedly sent to family members, in which she admitted to the attempted murder.
On. Aug. 6, Myhre-Schnell allegedly texted a confession to the victim, who responded that he was “on the fence” about deleting her number.
According to the complaint, the victim told the investigator the confession “was heavy” and “a lot to process.”
Paul Schnell and Myhre-Schnell separated in May 2023. Their divorce case is ongoing.
Schnell became the DOC commissioner in 2019 after more than 30 years in law enforcement, including time as chief of police in Hastings, Maplewood and Inver Grove Heights.
He and his wife became parents to their son during their time as foster care providers. He was three-months-old when he came to live with them.
Schnell reported the attempted murder allegation to authorities and applied for an order for protection for his son in June after learning of the incident from Myhre-Schnell’s sister, according to an affidavit reported by the Pioneer Press.
If convicted of first-degree attempted murder, Myhre-Schnell faces up to 20 years in prison.
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