Child killer Allan Dwayne Schoenborn — who recently changed his name to Ken John Johnson — is on a path to conditional discharge from his forensic psychiatric hospital, but will spend at least one more year under his current community supervision conditions, pending approval from the BC Review Board.
On Tuesday, Schoenborn appeared before the board’s three-person panel where Crown counsel, hospital staff and Schoenborn agreed on a joint submission to maintain his current custodial orders, which include up to 28 days of unescorted leave at one time, from the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.
The board heard from hospital staff that Schoenborn has recently been accepted onto a wait list at the Community Transitional Care (CTC) program, which would require a conditional discharge from the hospital. It is understood that such a discharge would prompt a separate hearing by the board.
"A conditional discharge means that someone who has been found not criminally responsible for a crime or unfit to stand trial due to a mental disorder is well enough to live outside the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, but must still live where as directed and participate in monitoring and ongoing treatment," the CTC website states.
Tuesday marked the second hearing day for Schoenborn following an abrupt ending to his hearing on April 17 when Schoenborn burst out in anger over questions from board chair Brenda Edwards concerning the patient’s risk to children and women, as well as a predisposition to substance abuse.
“What the f*** is this? …No booze, no drugs, no children; is that what’s going to be on my order?" Schoenborn interjected.
That outburst figured prominently in the board’s continued assessment of Schoenborn’s rehabilitation.
Schoenborn’s lawyer Zain Ali told the board his client regretted the outburst and had apologized.
Dr. Sophie Anhoury, the medical director of the hospital, said Schoenborn is clear of delusions and understands the world in reality, thanks to medication; he has also demonstrated pro-social behaviour while on outings in the community that have raised no concern from staff. No substance use concerns have been raised, as well, she said.
Anhoury said Schoenborn’s outburst on April 17 stemmed from being embarrassed about the questions, as he feels judged by the public and “does not believe he is a risk to others.”
Ultimately, said Anhoury, the outburst had not changed her risk assessment.
“There’s no change; there’s no concerns about his conduct on his leaves,” said Anhoury.
But the outburst, said Crown counsel Trevor Shaw, demonstrates Schoenborn’s mental vulnerabilities, namely questionable behaviour toward female nurses, such as calling one a “bitch” and slamming the door on another.
Schoenborn, said Shaw, “seems to have a structure that considers women’s reactions differently, which should cause this board some concern,” adding such a disposition is relevant to his history of violence against women.
Shaw noted Schoenborn killed his three young children — Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon — in 2008, arising from a dispute with his wife Darcie Clarke, who died in 2019.
A judge found Schoenborn guilty of first-degree murder for stabbing and suffocating his children but deemed him not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Shaw read the 2023 victim impact statement of Stacey Galt, Clarke’s cousin.
Galt told the board she and other surviving family members live in fear of a “manipulative” Schoenborn being out in the community and ultimately harming her or others.
“The details I learned about the offence harm me to this day, thinking about what those children endured. It is unfathomable to think that a father would do such a thing to his own children. Allan was a very jealous, vindictive, manipulative, violent man. It terrifies me to think what the outcome may be if he stops taking his medication,” Galt said.
Galt, who opposes Schoenborn's current community leaves, also said annual board reviews such as this one feed a “repetitive loop of pain.”
Schoenborn’s case worker told the board his “worst nightmare” is being recognized in public, hence his legal name change, which, when made public in April, prompted public outrage and a quick change to the law to ban serious criminal offenders from doing so in the future.
Edwards acknowledged the victims and the statements issued to the board Tuesday. She added the board will issue its decision to Schoenborn by this week and a written decision will take up to seven weeks to publish.
