Victims’ family concerned as B.C. child killer seeks 12-month conditional discharge

A B.C. man found not criminally responsible for the murders of his three children could soon be granted more freedom, depending on how a review board rules.

The family of the three children killed by their father Allan Schoenborn some 18 years ago are hoping his latest bid for additional freedoms will be rejected by the B.C. Review Board.

Schoenborn, who was found not criminally responsible in the murders, appeared before the board for his annual hearing Monday to request a 12-month conditional discharge.

“The community should be very concerned,” said Dave Teixeira, a spokesperson for the victims’ family.

After facing trial for killing his children—10-year-old Katelynn, eight-year-old Max and five-year-old Cordon—Schoenborn spent 15 years at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.

At his hearing this week, it was revealed Schoenborn was moved last April to a different facility, an unstaffed cottage where he lives with several other patients.

The B.C. Review Board heard Schoenborn can be irritable and abrasive, but that his mental illness is in remission thanks to injectable antipsychotic medication.

• Related: B.C. Review Board lets child killer Schoenborn keep eligibility for 28-day leave

A doctor testified Schoenborn has low motivation, spends most of his time watching television, and rarely uses passes to venture out in public because he fears being recognized.

“He’s refusing to any sort of community reintegration programs, he doesn’t want to get a job,” Teixeira said. “These factors—even those on their own—would be concerning.”

B.C’s director of forensic psychiatric services said she supports Schoenborn’s bid for a conditional discharge, and that she believes his risk can be effectively managed.

A lawyer for the Crown said the province’s attorney general largely supports the director’s submission as well.

Schoenborn—who legally changed his name to Ken John Johnson, a move that prompted the B.C. government to propose legislation to prevent others convicted of serious crimes of doing the same—chose not to make a statement or answer questions at the hearing.

The five-member board has reserved its decision, but said it will make an announcement on Schoenborn’s future in the coming days.