Father who killed 3 kids not high risk: lawyer
NEW WESTMINSTER — A man found not responsible for killing his three children is being properly managed, his psychosis is under control and he doesn’t fit the definition of a high-risk accused, his lawyer said Thursday.
Rishi Gill told a B.C. Supreme Court judge that Allan Schoenborn, 49, is being properly managed in a psychiatric facility and he doesn’t fit the definition of high risk, despite significant anger-management issues.
“There is nothing in the anger situation that takes him out of the regular stream. It’s the psychosis risk that puts him into the high risk. And that psychosis is under control,” Gill said.
Schoenborn was convicted of first-degree murder in 2010 for killing his daughter, 10, and two sons, eight and five, at their home in Merritt in 2008. He was found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.
His case gained notoriety again when former prime minister Stephen Harper singled him out while introducing a law creating the high-risk designation for mentally ill offenders.
The Crown has asked the court to designate Schoenborn a highrisk accused, which would bar him from receiving escorted outings into the community and extend the time between his review board hearings from one to three years.
Gill said his client might be “a jerk,” but the high-risk accused label doesn’t fit his client.
“He is just a disagreeable personality who has a lot of problems with conflict management. Nobody is saying otherwise,” Gill said. “What we’re saying is, does he get to that next level?”
Arguments into whether Schoenborn meets the criteria of a high-risk accused person are expected to wrap up by the end of the week. Proceedings on the constitutionality of the legislation are scheduled to begin June 26.