B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Schoenborn has been held at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., since 2010, when he was found not criminally responsible for killing his 10-year-old daughter and two sons, aged five and eight.
Wednesday's hearing was meant to determine whether Schoenborn would remain in treatment for another 12 months, or be granted conditional or full discharge.
That decision was never made.
Attorney Rishi Gill said he decided to leave after the board chair did not grant an adjournment and because of the questions and comments made by members of the board. He also said his client was not seeking any changes to his current privileges at the hospital, where the director has been granted discretion to allow him up to 28 days of overnight leave.
"Nobody is ever going to get over the horror of what happened in the past," Gill said.
“We didn't feel it was appropriate to continue to deal with this particular board at this time. It does not help matters to be subjected to some of the things that were happening in that room today," he also told reporters.
The proceedings appeared to begin respectfully, with all parties agreeing that Schoenborn “remains a significant threat to the safety of the public.”
Schoenborn sat quietly and listened attentively as things got underway.
But when the board asked a psychiatrist about his potential behaviour around children and whether he presented a danger, Schoenborn raised his voice and the hearing began to go off the rails.
“This is bulls**t,” he yelled, among more profane language. “If a child’s on a train, I have to get off?”
Gill said he is still counsel for Schoenborn but that another lawyer will represent him when the board reschedules the hearing.
Schoenborn has also legally changed his name and is asking for it not to be published in any future board decisions. That matter was also not settled by the end of Wednesday's proceedings.
Darcie Clarke, the children's mother, died in 2019. Her brother Mike says what Schoenborn did to his niece and nephews – Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon – still haunts him.
"It's pretty hard on me. I think about it every other day, about where my sister's children would be today," he said. “They would all be young adults now."
Schoenborn was diagnosed with delusional disorder and told his B.C. Supreme Court trial he stabbed and smothered his children in 2008 to protect them from an imagined threat of sexual abuse.
No date has been set for the rescheduled review board hearing.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6869169.1714585694!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Most wanted fugitive in Canada arrested in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The most wanted fugitive in Canada was arrested in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Tuesday night.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
Harvey Weinstein appears in court after his New York rape conviction was overturned
Harvey Weinstein was back in a New York courtroom Wednesday for his first appearance since an appeals court last week overturned his 2020 rape conviction and ordered a new trial.
How can I tell if I have norovirus? Expert explains symptoms
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship
A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a U.S. couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.
Blair says he couldn't sell cabinet on meeting 'magical threshold' of NATO target
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he couldn't convince the Liberal cabinet that Canada's government needed to meet NATO's spending target in its recent defence policy update.
Dental care program starts accepting claims for 1 million seniors
The first seniors to register with the new federal dental care plan can now start submitting claims.
Doctors dealing with at least 160 Canadians suffering eye damage possibly linked to looking at the eclipse
Nearly a month after the total solar eclipse, at least 160 cases of eye damage have been reported across the country.