Estranged wife of civil servant charged with attempted premeditated murder | News

(Vadnais Heights, MN) – The divorced wife of Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell is accused of attempting to kill her defenseless adult son with a potentially lethal dose of medication at his Vadnais Heights senior living home late last year. 64-year-old Julie Myhre-Schnell is charged with attempted first-degree murder after allegedly putting so much lorazepam, an anxiety medication, in her 33-year-old son's feeding bag that he would “go to sleep forever.” Her son was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with acute respiratory failure. Commissioner Schnell filed for a restraining order against her after learning of it in June. The two are currently living separately after filing for divorce in 2023. Myhre-Schnell told investigators she filled her prescription, crushed the pills in water, took it to visit her son on December 3, 2023, and emptied the contents into the bag before leaving. Her next court hearing is on October 9.