Estranged wife of Minnesota DOC commissioner charged with attempted murder of her adult son | The Mighty 790 KFGO

VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. (KFGO) – The divorced wife of Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell has been in custody since Thursday, charged with attempted murder after allegedly attempting to kill their adult son, a vulnerable adult, last year.

On Thursday, prosecutors in Ramsey County charged 64-year-old Julie Myhre-Schnell of St. Paul with attempted premeditated murder in connection with an alleged intentional attempt on her son's life on December 3, 2023.

According to the criminal complaint, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office investigators learned in June that Myhre-Schnell had admitted to several people that she tried to kill her son by putting sedatives in his feeding bag “in the hopes he would fall asleep forever.”

The son, now 33 years old, suffers from spina bifida and other illnesses that require round-the-clock care.

The criminal complaint states that an investigator spoke to Myhre-Schnell after learning of her confessions.

During interrogation, Myhre-Schnell allegedly admitted that she had tried to kill her son with pills from her Lorazepam prescription.

According to the lawsuit, Myhre-Schnell allegedly testified that she crushed the pills and placed them in a “slurry” of water, took the container to a Vadnais Heights residence where her son lives, and emptied the container into her son's feeding bag before leaving for the night.

The indictment states that Myhre-Schnell told the investigator: “I knew all along that I was going to try to do this.”

She is said to have continued: “All night I was thinking: 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 about her son's survival, she reportedly replied, “I was afraid they would find out through the toxicology tests, and I was probably trying to figure out what to do. I'm just going to go to jail.”

Myhre-Schnell is also said to have stated that she “deeply regrets that he survived.”

According to the complaint, she never visited her son again after the incident.

Investigators learned that the victim was hospitalized on December 4 due to altered mental status, decreased ability to react, and low blood pressure.

No toxicology tests were performed at the hospital and the victim was diagnosed with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

According to the complaint, the investigator spoke with a doctor about the expected symptoms of a lorazepam overdose and learned that symptoms could include drowsiness and shortness of breath.

The investigator also collected screenshots of text messages Myhre-Schnell allegedly sent to family members in which she admitted to the attempted murder.

On August 6, Myhre-Schnell allegedly sent the victim a confession via text message, to which the victim replied that he was “undecided” whether to delete her number.

According to the complaint, the victim told the investigator that the confession was “difficult” and “a lot to process.”

Paul Schnell and Myhre-Schnell separated in May 2023. Their divorce proceedings are not yet complete.

Schnell became DOC Commissioner in 2019 after more than 30 years in law enforcement, including stints as police chief in Hastings, Maplewood and Inver Grove Heights.

He and his wife became parents to their son during their time as foster parents. He was three months old when he came to live with them.

According to an affidavit reported by the Pioneer Press, Schnell reported the attempted murder allegation to authorities and filed for a restraining order for his son in June after learning of the incident from Myhre-Schnell's sister.

If convicted of attempted premeditated murder, Myhre-Schnell faces up to 20 years in prison.