I can’t believe the powers that be are considering releasing Alan Schoenborn under any conditions. He murdered his three children, is a menace to society, and his trial was a farce.

Judge Powers’ decision that Schoenborn was not guilty due to his mental condition when he killed his children is unfounded and speculative. The judge was not there at the time nor was anyone at the murder scene as a witness to Schoenborn’s mental state. 

However a neighbour who talked to Schoenborn just before the murders said he “seemed sane" and the man who apprehended him and the first to see him after the murders said he “seemed coherent and mentally stable". 

For some reason, neither of these two men were served a subpoena to testify. 

It seems Crown prosecutor Glen Kelt may have missed the boat by not calling these two witnesses to the stand, which happens often in our court system.

And why was he allowed to represent himself on April 6, 2010, before the B.C. Review Board if he had a mental disorder? Board chairperson Ben Walter said he “continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the community," in a newspaper release in 2010.

At Schoenborn's request, the B.C. Review Board recently considered allowing him to go out for morning coffee under escort only to discover that his wife lived in the same area, creating more stress in her life. In all their wisdom, the board rescinded this decision after further review!

B.C. continues to be a magnet for career criminals of all kinds with its sympathetic laws, lenient judicial system and the absence of punishment for convicted offenders.  The victims of crime become excess baggage to the government with little consideration given to their personal and social well-being.

In the case of Schoenborn, the fact is, he murdered three children whatever his mental state was at the time. If we continue to allow people like this in our society none of us will ever be able to exist in an environment of trust.

W. RICE

Lower Nicola