ST PAUL, Minn. — Attempted murder charges have been filed against a St. Paul woman who allegedly tried to end the life of her disabled adult son by placing anxiety medication in his feeding bag.
A criminal complaint details the case against 64-year-old Julie Louise Myhre-Schnell, who investigators say recently admitted the incident - which reportedly occurred in early December of 2023 - to several people, including her estranged husband, Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell.
Court documents say Ramsey County sheriff's investigators received a report on June 13 about an attempted homicide at a group home in Vadnais Heights. Two days later, detectives interviewed Myhre-Schnell, who told them she had renewed her prescription for Lorazepam, an anti-anxiety medication, and received 31 pills, records show. According to investigators. the defendant admitted that she crushed the remainder of her pills and put them in water to create a slurry solution that she placed in a bag to bring to her 33-year-old son's group home.
During the visit on Dec. 3, Myhre-Schnell allegedly poured the slurry into her son's feeding bag before leaving the group home facility. “The whole time, I knew I was gonna try to do this,” the defendant allegedly told investigators, according to charging documents. "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.”
The complaint says Myhre-Schnell admitted to investigators she was trying to kill her son, and when he was rushed to the hospital and survived the attempted overdose, the defendant believed she would get caught. “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,” she told them.
Sheriff's Investigators spoke to the family members - including Paul Schnell - who had received confessions from the defendant, with each confirming they received a message from Myhre-Schnell admitting she attempted to kill her son. Screenshots of each of those messages were collected as evidence.
When the victim was questioned by detectives, he told them his mother had texted him a confession of her intent to kill him, calling the message "heavy" and "a lot to process."
After learning that his estranged wife had attempted to end the life of their son, Commissioner Paul Schnell - who was appointed the guardian of their son in 2017 - filed for an order of protection on behalf of his son against Myhre-Schnell. In the affidavit, Schnell describes their son as having considerable medical issues stemming from a diagnosis of Spina Bifida, including being wheelchair-bound and ventilator-dependent. He is fed through a gastronomy tube and requires around-the-clock care.
Schnell said in the affidavit that his estranged wife has had a long history of medication-assisted treatment for depression and anxiety, adding that she noticeably began to struggle with her mental health in the last quarter of 2023.
In June, Schnell reported he received a text from the defendant confessing that she attempted to end their son's life, records show.
The order for protection affidavit asks for no in-person contact between Myhre-Schnell and her son, saying that if the defendant attempted to see him in person, law enforcement should be called.
KARE 11 contacted Commissioner Schnell, who told reporter Gordon Severson "It would be inappropriate to comment" on the matter.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there is help available from the following resources:
- Crisis Text Line – text “MN” to 741741 (standard data and text rates apply)
- Crisis Phone Number in your Minnesota county
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, Talk to Someone Now
- Throughout Minnesota call **CRISIS (**274747)
- The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386