Trial resumes in slaying of 3 children
Court to hear crucial psychiatric testimony
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 8:56 PM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
Schoenborn's murder trial hinges on his mental state at the time of the killings. (CBC)Allan Dwayne Schoenborn will enter the courtroom in Kamloops, B.C., again Friday for the resumption of his trial on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his three young children.
The trial was adjourned a month ago by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Powers to allow time to schedule psychiatric experts to testify for both the Crown and defence.
Schoenborn, 41, has admitted he stabbed his 10-year-old daughter and suffocated his two sons, aged eight and five.
The children's mother, Darcie Clark, found the children's bodies at her mobile home in Merritt on April 6, 2008. Schoenborn had been looking after them while Clark was away.
Schoenborn testified he killed the children to protect them from sexual abuse, although no evidence had been presented to support his suspicion.
The defence is hoping to prove Schoenborn can't be held criminally responsible for his children's deaths because of a mental disorder.
If the judge — who is hearing the trial without a jury — finds that Schoenborn was not of sound mind at the time of the killings he could be found not guilty and sent to a psychiatric institution instead of prison.
The Crown prosecutor has presented a case in which Schoenborn killed his children as an act of revenge against their mother.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim

