Some men are brilliant, some are mere fools.
Some men play nice and follow the rules.
But some men use their smarts to get by,
After cruel deeds that would make good men cry.
Brilliance is a trait which is highly regarded. However, in some cases, brilliance is used as a mask to cover the face of a true monster. One man, John Schneeberger, used his intelligence to fool DNA tests that would have proven him guilty of drugging and raping innocent women.
John Schneeberger was born in 1961 in Zambia, South Africa. After completing his medical degree at Stellenbosch University, Schneeberger moved to Kipling, Saskatchewan in Canada and practiced medicine at the Kipling Medical Center. John married Lisa Dillman, with whom he had two daughters. John also gained two stepchildren, a son and a daughter from Dillman’s previous marriage.
Schneeberger is most well-known for drugging and raping his stepdaughter and a female patient. Schneeberger used the anesthetic Versed to temporarily paralyze the women while he raped them. He also knew the drug typically had the side effect of amnesia.
One of his victims, Candice, recalled the 1992 rape in detail despite the amnesiac effects of the drug. Being an intelligent young woman, Candice immediately went to a nearby town and had herself examined for rape in their hospital. She reported the rape to police who contacted the Kipling police on her behalf and handed the case over to them. Candice was worried about their ability to be impartial because Schneeberger was a leading citizen in Kipling. However, they did ask him for a DNA sample to compare to the semen left during Candice’s rape.
After several months, the results from the DNA test came back. However, they did not match and Dr. Schneeberger was cleared of the rape. Candice demanded a second blood test, and this was returned with the same results of the first. Knowing she recalled the rape accurately, Candice hired a private investigator named Larry O’Brien. O’Brien made several attempts at gathering Schneeberger’s DNA. Eventually he was able to obtain a sample that was good enough to use for analysis. When tested, this sample came back as a positive match to the rapist’s DNA.
Although this sample was illegally obtained, it did prompt a request for another blood sample. Then, in 1997, Schneeberger’s step daughter told her mother, Lisa, that she had found a condom in her bed. Lisa realized that her husband had been raping her daughter and reported it to the police. This prompted a fourth DNA test. This time multiple samples were taken and were matched to Candice’s rapist.
It turns out that John Schneeberger had implanted a Penrose drain in his arm that he had filled with anticoagulants and another man’s blood. He would then trick the technician into drawing from where the tube was located. Schneeberger was able to successfully outwit DNA tests and evade conviction for several years by using another man’s implanted DNA. However, he was eventually caught and convicted despite his intelligence.
He was charged with sexual assault, administering a noxious substance, and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to six years in prison but was released on parole after four years. After it was determined that he lied to a citizenship judge about being the subject of a police investigation, John Schneeberger was stripped of his Canadian citizenship and medical license and deported back to South Africa in 2004. Schneeberger then moved to Durban to live with his mother, where it is believed he still resides.
John Schneeberger was undoubtedly brilliant. However his hopes of being a respected physician were shattered after his true nature was discovered. Schneeberger used his status and intelligence to run from the truth, but eventually even his brilliance was outmatched.
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