B.C. man who killed his three children granted conditional discharge

Allan Dwayne Schoenborn. Photo by TBA /PROVINCE

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A man convicted in the brutal killing of his three children has been granted conditional discharge by the British Columbia Review Board.

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In 2010, Allan Schoenborn was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder for the first-degree murders of his three children: Cordon, aged five, Max, eight and Kaitlynne, 10, at their Merritt, B.C., home in 2008.

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He appeared before the board for his annual hearing on Monday to request the 12-month conditional discharge.

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The B.C. Review Board decision, which took effect on June 2, says Schoenborn is to attend a psychiatric clinic for treatment, live in a supervised place, and stay at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., if ordered to do so by the board.

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He must also report any intimate relationships, be on good behaviour, and not possess or use any weapons or drugs.

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Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad said the Review Board’s decision was “wrong” in a social media post on Thursday.

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“This man needs to be locked away,” he wrote. “He should not be getting any kind of discharge, conditional or otherwise. After what he did, the public has every right to expect that he remains under the strictest supervision for the rest of his life.”

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“I am outraged by the B.C. Review Board’s slippery slope normalization of someone who killed their children.”

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“A conditional discharge is not a minor administrative step. It is part of a process that moves him closer to greater freedom.”

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Dave Teixeira, a spokesperson for the victims’ family, said in a video shared to X on Thursday: “In my opinion, (Schoenborn) is more evil than he is ill. He’s interested in getting out, he’s not interested in getting better.”

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He added that he’s concerned that the conditional discharge is a “waiting room for the absolute discharge,” saying: “It’s very rare that people on a conditional discharge do not advance forward.”

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“Should he ever get an absolute discharge, I promise you we will be hearing about him on the news after he’s created more tragedy,” he said.

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