Casefile True Crime - Case 219: Doctor John

Episode Date: August 20, 2022

Dr John Schneeberger’s charming and gentle manner made him a popular and trusted figure in the tiny Canadian town of Kipling. So when a young woman named Candice accused him of raping her in 1992, most townsfolk were left shocked and found the allegation impossible to believe. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon This episode's sponsors: ButcherBox – Get free bacon for the duration of your membership and $100 off with promo code ‘BONUS100’ BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist NextEvo Naturals – Get 25% off your first order of $40 or more with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ SimpliSafe – Claim a FREE indoor security camera and 20% off with interactive monitoring ShipStation – Try ShipStation FREE for 60 days with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-219-doctor-john

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Due to the nature of this crime, case file has elected to change the names of some individuals featured in this episode. In 1992, newlyweds John and Lisa Schneeberger were living a charmed life together in the small farming community of Kipling, Saskatchewan. John was one of just two doctors in Kipling and every time Lisa went into town, she was stopped in the street by well-meaning locals who told her how lucky she was to be married to such a wonderful man. She entirely agreed with them. Their relationship hadn't exactly begun in a conventional way. In the fall of 1987, Lisa had been working as a receptionist at a medical clinic in Oxbow, another small town situated roughly 116 kilometers south of Kipling. She met John when he arrived at the clinic to work as a physician. The 26-year-old doctor had only recently relocated to Canada from South Africa as he'd wanted to escape the political turmoil of his homeland.

John Schneeberger quickly became a popular figure at the small clinic, with patients finding him warm and personable. But he was still new to the country and didn't have many friends, so Lisa made an effort to be kind. She and her then-husband Rich began inviting John to have dinner with them, and gradually, something shifted in Lisa and John's dynamic. They grew closer, and Lisa's relationship with Rich, who had been her high school sweetheart, began to suffer. By the spring of 1988, Lisa and Rich had split up, and Lisa embarked on a romance with John. She took her young son and daughter to move to Kipling, and John went to, taking on a role as a doctor at the town's only hospital. Despite these sudden and drastic changes, the newly formed family adapted well. John was a loving stepfather to Lisa's two children, and they, in turn, adored him.

The townsfolk of Kipling were as charmed by John as those in Oxbow had been, and affectionately referred to him as Dr. John. Lisa and John designed and built their dream home, a spacious lakeside property with enough room for more children down the track. In 1991, they married. As far as Lisa was concerned, she had found her soulmate, and couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him. Music On Sunday, November 1, 1992, there was a knock at the Schneeberger's front door. Lisa went to answer it, and, to her surprise, saw an officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police standing on the stoop. Identifying himself as Detective Hansstra, he asked if he could speak to her husband.

Lisa called for John, and the two men stepped into another room to speak privately. Detective Hansstra informed John that he was investigating a very serious allegation. A patient had accused John of sexual assault. 23-year-old Candace Foster had filed a report earlier that morning, alleging that Dr. Schneeberger had drugged and raped her the previous night, when she attended the hospital where he worked for treatment. Detective Hansstra had already paid a visit to Kipling Memorial Union Hospital and interviewed the nurses on duty. One confirmed that Candace had arrived in a highly agitated state after getting into an argument with her boyfriend that had turned physical. A nurse had asked Candace if she would like to see Dr. Schneeberger, and she agreed. The doctor gave Candace a sedative that was used to treat severe agitation, and she stayed at the hospital overnight for monitoring.

Neither of the two nurses on duty had seen anything suspicious, and both had been frequently bustling in and out of the examination room where Candace was treated. The only other male in the entire hospital that night was a man whose wife was giving birth, and he had been in the delivery suite the entire time. John Schneeberger listened as the detective relayed the accusation against him. When it came time for him to speak, he adamantly denied the allegations, stating, It wasn't me. I would never have done that. John explained that when Candace had arrived, she was hysterical and said she felt like killing her boyfriend. He had asked if she would like something to calm down, and Candace said yes, so he'd given her a sedative called Versed. John theorized that perhaps the drug had caused Candace to hallucinate and mistakenly imagine an assault.

His description of the night's events were consistent with the nurses' accounts. Traces of Versed had also been found in Candace's system, so it was evident that the doctor was telling the truth about that as well. There was one easy way to get to the bottom of the matter. When Candace had gone to the police, she had brought a pair of underpants with her that she said she'd been wearing the night before. There was a semen stain on them that she insisted belonged to Dr Schneeberger. Investigators intended to obtain a DNA profile from the stain, and Detective Hansstra asked the doctor if he would be willing to provide a blood sample to compare with the result. Eager to clear his name, Dr Schneeberger said that he would be more than happy to oblige. The doctor soon made an appointment with the local police to give blood.

Candace Foster had reported the alleged rape to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, in the Saskatchewan capital of Regina, about 150 kilometers from where she lived in Kipling. The Regina RCMP had subsequently handballed the case back to Kipling's detachment. A lab technician withdrew a small amount of blood from Dr Schneeberger's left arm, and then he was free to go. DNA was still in its infancy as a forensic tool, and it would take some time to receive the results. In the meantime, word got out around town that Dr Schneeberger had been accused of rape by Candace Foster. John Schneeberger was a highly popular figure, and many Kipling residents found the allegations impossible to believe. Not only did he have a reputation as a gentle and trustworthy doctor, but he had done so much for the town. John chaired a board for disabled adults. He had helped out two young men when they got into trouble with the law,

and he had helped Kipling build its very first outdoor swimming pool by leading its fundraising campaign. His accuser was less well-liked. Candace Foster was a young single mother who worked at a local gas station. People around Kipling saw her as a party girl with a quick temper. At a cabaret event that Dr Schneeberger had organised to raise money for the community pool, Candace had caused the scene by arguing with her boyfriend and punching him. As the rape accusation became the talk of the town, most people sided with the doctor. They suspected Candace was inventing a story because she had a crush on him, or maybe she was after his money. After all, if she had been attacked in an examination room, then why hadn't she said anything to the two nurses who were on duty that night? Finally, after several months of waiting, the DNA results came through.

A profile had been created from the semen stain on Candace's underwear, and John Schneeberger was not a match. These results came as a relief to John and his wife Lisa. She had not believed the allegations for one moment, and finally there was proof that her husband was innocent. Now that DNA evidence had vindicated him, hopefully they could move on with their lives. Yet, to their shock and disbelief, Candace wasn't going away. John and Lisa found out through the police that Candace was still insisting she had been raped at the hospital and that Dr Schneeberger was responsible. She was demanding that they test his blood a second time. Dr Schneeberger duly agreed to provide the police with more blood for further testing.

Once again, his sample did not match the DNA from the semen stain on Candace's underwear. Dr Schneeberger was definitively ruled out as a suspect. Because DNA evidence was absolute, the police told Candace there was nothing else they could do, and in 1994, the case file was closed. Lisa couldn't understand what had prompted Candace to target her husband so persistently. She wondered if Candace was infatuated with John and determined to ruin their marriage, or maybe she was mentally unwell. Whatever the reason, Lisa was furious with her. She knew without a doubt that Candace wasn't the victim. John was.

Life went on as normal, with Dr Schneeberger retaining his good standing in the community. Luckily, most people in the town believed in him wholeheartedly. Candace Foster made the decision to move 150km away to Regina, so the Schneebergers no longer had to worry about bumping into her down the street. Over the next couple of years, the rape claim faded into the past, and they moved on into their future together. The happy couple had two children, with their first daughter born in 1995 and their second in 1996. Life was good, and their family was finally complete. But still, the Schneebergers suspected that Candace was lurking about on the fringes of their lives. One day in 1996, a man approached John at work with an entry form for a raffle.

He explained that it was part of a radio station contest to win a diamond ring, and asked John if he would like to enter. John agreed. He filled out the form, then placed it into the accompanying envelope, licking its adhesive strip before sealing it. The stranger had watched him carefully the entire time. This incident took on a sinister new light when the Schneebergers cleaner approached them with some information. She knew Candace Foster's parents and had heard that Candace had hired a private investigator to keep digging into John. Lisa was angry that Candace still seemed hell-bent on destroying their lives. From then on, John sealed envelopes by using water from the kitchen tap, telling Lisa,

You can just never be too careful when people are accusing you of things you didn't do. On the afternoon of Friday, April 25, 1997, Lisa Schneeberger was at home when one of her daughters approached with a surprising question. 15-year-old Amy was Lisa's eldest child from her first marriage, and she wanted to know whether she could go and visit her biological father. The request caught Lisa off guard, as the family had already made weekend plans, and Amy was supposed to be babysitting. Lisa noticed that Amy's complexion was pale and her expression troubled. She asked her daughter what was wrong. In a halting voice, Amy replied, Mum, I have something to tell you.

She gestured for her mother to come with her and led Lisa to her bedroom. Amy walked over to her bed and pulled back the covers. Then she pointed at the mattress. Lisa looked at the spot her daughter was indicating. Lying there was an empty condom wrapper. Then Amy spoke. Mum, he's done this to me before. The night of October 31, 1992, wasn't shaping up to be a fun Halloween for 23-year-old Candace Foster. For starters, she had a shift at the gas station where she worked full-time.

Candace had given birth to a baby girl nine months earlier, and as a single mother, she was solely responsible for providing for her daughter. Her parents, who came from a modest farming background, were supportive, but juggling parenthood with long working hours was exhausting. Second of all, Candace's boyfriend, Danny, had showed up at the gas station, which had led to an argument. Candace and Danny had a tumultuous relationship, and she'd just learned that he had lied to her about seeing other women. They began to fight, with Candace growing as distressed about the argument itself as she was about the fact it was taking place at her work. Danny made one last offensive retort, then jumped into his truck and drove away laughing with a friend. Furious, Candace kicked the side of the vehicle as it peeled out of the parking lot. She was so distraught and angry that she decided to go to Kipling Memorial Union Hospital to see a friend who worked there.

Candace hoped that talking through her feelings might help calm her down. She left work early, went home to change, and then drove to the hospital, only to discover her friend wasn't working that night. Noticing how upset Candace was, a nurse asked if she'd like to see a doctor. Candace asked who was on that night. It was Dr. Schneeberger, known locally as Dr. John. Candace liked Dr. Schneeberger. He was young and charming and had been her doctor for more than a year. He had even delivered her daughter nine months earlier. Candace agreed to see him and was shown to an examination room.

Candace's agitation had only increased since arriving at the hospital. When Dr. Schneeberger stepped into the examination room, he found her sobbing. Her face was bright red. He asked what was wrong, and Candace replied, I'm so mad at Danny that I feel like I could kill him. Dr. Schneeberger chatted with Candace for a few moments and said, Well, maybe I'll give you something to calm you down. He left the room briefly, then returned with a syringe in hand.

Candace was surprised. She thought the doctor was just going to get her a couple of pills. He inserted the needle into Candace's right arm, then led her over to an examining table, rolling her over on her left side so she was facing the wall. Almost as soon as the drugs entered her system, Candace had felt them take effect. Her body felt heavy, yet soft at the same time, like all her muscles were gone and she was just a puddle of jelly. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a faint croaking sound. Limp and numb, she couldn't move. Yet her eyes stayed wide open, staring at the blank wall in front of her.

Candace felt a man unbutton and pulled down her jeans before pulling her underwear to one side. Then he started to rape her. Candace couldn't turn and see who it was. She couldn't call out for help. Desperately, she tried to move her arm. After a few minutes, her attacker stopped and fixed Candace's clothing. Groggily, she managed to roll over just in time to see Dr. Schneeberger exiting the room. Candace woke the next morning in a hospital bed, feeling light-headed and strange. Slowly, the events of the previous night came back to her.

She hadn't mentioned anything about the attack to the nurses, who had encouraged her to stay at the hospital overnight. Soon, Dr. Schneeberger came in to check on her and take her vitals. As he went to check her pulse, Candace asked him what kind of drug he had given her the night before. Why? replied the doctor with a smile. Did it give you wild dreams? Then he walked out without answering her question. Candace noticed that her underpants were stained with what appeared to be semen. When she got home, she took them off and placed them inside a Ziploc bag. Having watched a lot of crime shows over the years, she knew she needed to preserve any possible DNA evidence.

She would also need to undergo a physical examination. Candace knew she couldn't return to the hospital where Dr. Schneeberger worked, nor did she feel safe reporting the crime to the local police force. So she drove with a friend almost two hours west to a hospital in Regina, where she spoke with two sexual assault counselors and a rape kit was collected. Staff at the hospital phoned the police on Candace's behalf. Candace also confided in her parents, who would be two of her greatest supporters in the months and years that followed. One look at her face was all they needed to see to realize how traumatized she was.

Although Candace's parents and close friends believed her, it was a different story when it came to the rest of Kipling. Candace couldn't walk down the street without people pointing at her and exchanging whispers. Rumors spread that Candace was obsessed with Dr. Schneeberger and was trying to break up his marriage. Others speculated that she was a gold digger who was trying to blackmail or sue a wealthy man for cash. Candace stood firm, knowing that when the DNA results from Dr. Schneeberger's blood test arrived, then people would realize she had been telling the truth. After six long months, she received a call from a Kipling constable. The DNA wasn't a match.

Candace couldn't believe it. That's impossible, she told the police, before adding that she would get to the bottom of the matter. Candace suspected that the doctor had foiled the DNA test somehow. Maybe he'd figured out a way to switch the vial that contained his blood. The police told her that wasn't possible. An officer had supervised the entire process and nothing suspicious had taken place. Still, Candace was undeterred. For months, she lobbied the police to test the doctor's blood again.

In 1993, they approached Dr. Schneeberger again and managed to convince him to give another sample. This time, the doctor was indignant and protested, pointing out that he had already been exonerated. But eventually, he agreed. The second test had the exact same result as the first. Negative Kipling was where Candace Foster's support network of family and friends lived. But being around so many others who thought she was a liar was too difficult. Unable to continue living in the town where people treated her like a pariah, she moved to Regina.

Years went by, but she refused to give up her fight. In 1996, she decided to hire a private investigator and ask him to obtain a sample of Dr. Schneeberger's DNA for testing. Larry O'Brien had worked for the RCMP for 25 years before he switched over to private work. He agreed to meet with Candace, and as he listened to her story, he was struck by her strength and matter of fact manner. In an episode of the Canadian television program 72 Hours, Larry O'Brien described Candace as one of the most determined people he had ever met. Quote Tough as nails if she had to be, and sweet as an angel. Hearing what Candace had to say, Larry had no doubt that she had been raped and that Dr. John Schneeberger was responsible.

When Candace explained that Larry was her last hope, he knew he had to help her. Larry had his assistant go to the doctor's workplace and pretend he was accepting entries for a competition. Dr. Schneeberger filled out a form and then placed it in an envelope, licking the seal closed. But the envelope was later contaminated and had to be thrown out. For his next attempt, Larry O'Brien went to the hospital parking light himself and tracked down Dr. Schneeberger's car, a Mercedes Benz with the personalized license plate, Schnee. The vehicle was unlocked, allowing easy access. It was also exceptionally clean, but Larry managed to find a hair on the back of the headrest. He carefully bagged it for testing.

Unfortunately, the hair had no root, so it was unusable. Determined to keep trying, Larry went back to the car a second time. This time he spotted a tube of chapstick sitting in the vehicle's unused ashtray. Removing the cap, Larry saw that the chapstick was almost brand new. It looked as though someone had used it just once. Pulling out an envelope that had a clear plastic window pane, Larry rubbed the chapstick back and forth over the plastic. The third time was the charm. Traces of saliva and skin cells present on the chapstick had transferred to the envelope and there was enough to create a DNA profile.

Two weeks later, Larry got a call. The results were in. The DNA was a match to the man who had raped Candace. Candace was overjoyed. She knew the results proved that Dr. Schneeberger had raped her. But it was still unclear why the DNA from his blood sample wasn't a match to her rapist's semen as well. Candace and Larry O'Brien believed the doctor had most likely managed to somehow switch the vials containing his blood. They took the results from their private test to law enforcement.

Hopeful it would finally convince them of Dr. Schneeberger's guilt. Detective Harnstra of the RCMP was intrigued but told Candace the evidence couldn't be used because it had been obtained illegally. However, it might give them the leverage they needed to convince Dr. Schneeberger to provide yet another blood sample. This time they would videotape the entire process as well as watch it closely in person. When confronted with the new evidence, John Schneeberger insisted that the chapstick from the car wasn't his. Nevertheless, he agreed to provide one final sample. On November 20, 1996, Dr. Schneeberger turned up to have his blood taken by the RCMP. A serologist named Gene Roney had been brought in specifically for the task,

with Detective Harnstra instructing her to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. A video camera was set up to record the entire thing. As Dr. Schneeberger settled in, Gene Roney asked him to stick out his hand. Blood samples were always taken from a small prick to the index finger. However, Dr. Schneeberger explained that he had a syndrome which caused his fingers to bruise easily. Having damaged fingers was less than ideal for a physician, so he offered to provide a sample from his arm instead. Gene agreed. Dr. Schneeberger rolled up the left sleeve of his yellow sweater so it sat just above his elbow.

The vein on the inside of his arm was prominent and should have been easy to take blood from, but Gene struggled to insert the needle. After a couple of attempts, she succeeded and drew a small sample of blood. Dr. Schneeberger was thanked and he left the room. Looking down at the blood, Gene Roney was puzzled. It was a strange color, very dark with a brownish hue. Looking at the video camera, she said, The blood doesn't look really kind of fresh.

I don't know. The sample was submitted for analysis, but the result wasn't what anyone expected. Dr. Schneeberger's blood was too degraded to detect a DNA. Candice Foster was furious and devastated. She had fought for years to have the case reopened and now it seemed as though she had lost her last chance. As for investigators, they were suspicious. Now they were on the same page as Candice, certain that Dr. Schneeberger had done something to thwart the test, but they had no idea what.

And then, in April 1997, they received a phone call from the doctor's wife, Lisa Schneeberger. On April 25, 1997, Lisa Schneeberger's 15-year-old daughter, Amy, said she had to tell her something and took Lisa to her room. Amy showed Lisa an empty condom wrapper that was lying on her bed, then stated, Mum, he's done this before. Horror washed over Lisa as she processed her daughter's words. She knew that Amy was referring to her stepfather, John Schneeberger, the love of Lisa's life and a man she had staunchly defended over the past five years. Amy's memories were blurry, but she knew that her stepfather had been sexually assaulting her for a long time, ever since she was 13. When she became a teenager, her stepfather had taken an interest in her sexual health, suggesting that Amy go on the pill.

He began touching her inappropriately. Sometimes, he assaulted her in his office at work while he was supposed to be treating her for minor ailments, such as a wart on her foot. Amy could remember her stepfather giving her an injection, then guiding her to his examination table and lying on top of her. She could feel him raping her. Then she passed out. Other times, he would give her injections at night, supposedly to help her sleep. Amy would wake the next day with a hazy feeling and the knowledge that something awful had happened. The night of April 24, 1997 had been one such occasion.

Amy hadn't been able to sleep, so her stepfather had injected her with something. The next day when she was making her bed, she had been horrified and distraught to discover a condom wrapper tucked between the sheets. Now that she had physical evidence of the assaults she had long known were taking place, Amy had decided to confide in her mother. Lisa felt sick, but she didn't doubt her daughter for a second. Memories flooded back of the way her husband had so often administered injections when the children were unwell, instead of offering tablets or syrups. Lisa had asked John why he did this, and he'd simply assured her that injections were quicker and very effective. Because he was the doctor, she had been satisfied with his answer. Lisa remembered one time when Amy had woken up feeling sick, groggy and upset, crying to her mother that John had given her a needle late at night.

When Lisa asked him about it, he'd said, yes, she was coughing. Didn't you hear her coughing? Lisa hadn't heard any coughing, but she believed her husband. As she processed the fact that her life as she knew it was a lie and the enormity of Amy's suffering, Lisa asked her daughter why she hadn't come to her sooner. Amy replied, you didn't believe Candice, why would you believe me? In an instant, Lisa knew that Candice Foster had been telling the truth all along. As reported by Crime magazine, she later told the Canadian television program W5, I felt sick, I still blame myself. Maybe if I had believed Candice, none of this would have happened to my daughter. Lisa helped Amy pack a bag so she could stay elsewhere for the weekend. Then she called her husband on his cell phone.

He was in the car, driving home from a medical conference. Amy's told me what you've been doing to her. I know, said Lisa. You've done it to Candice too, didn't you? Dr Schneeberger insisted that he hadn't done anything at all and would explain everything when he got home. When he arrived home a little while later, the doctor didn't seem altogether well. He was slurring his words and Lisa suspected he had taken some kind of drug. Dr Schneeberger slept it off on the couch while Lisa lay awake all night. Early the next morning, she demanded he leave. He did and Lisa turned her attention to his home office. Casting her eyes around the room, she spotted a box perched high up on a shelf.

After lifting it off and opening it up, Lisa saw it was filled with doctor's gloves, syringes, condoms and vials of a drug called Versed. A benzodiazepine medication, Versed is a sedative sometimes used to decrease agitation and induce sleepiness. It is also used for anesthesia and can cause those injected with it to lose consciousness. Additionally, Versed has an amnesiac effect, preventing the formation of new memories. Lisa placed a phone call to Detective Hansstra at the RCMP and reported her husband for rape, telling the detective everything that Amy had told her. When Candice learned that Dr Schneeberger had been accused of raping his stepdaughter repeatedly over the past two years, she burst into tears. Ever since she had been raped by the doctor in 1992, she had been terrified that he would do the same thing to other women. To learn that he had repeatedly victimized an underage girl was her greatest nightmare realized.

The RCMP obtained a warrant and took the box that Lisa Schneeberger had found into evidence. Then they arrested her husband and charged him with aggravated sexual assault against Amy. Now that they had a warrant, they could take as much DNA from him as they wanted. Detectives took swabs of his saliva, 25 hairs from his head, and a sample of blood from his index finger. Candice Foster was thrilled. She later told producers for the television program Forensic Files. That was what I had wanted all along. I mean, I had even offered to go chop an arm off. I would have sucked him one in the nose to get that blood. No problem. This time, all of the samples had the same DNA profile as the person who had left a semen stain on Candice Foster's underwear.

Finally, there was incontrovertible evidence tying Dr Schneeberger to Candice's case. Despite this, the doctor continued to deny that he raped Candice and denied raping his stepdaughter as well. John Schneeberger claimed that Candice was trying to destroy his wealth and his family by accusing him of rape. She had obtained his semen by breaking into his home, stealing a used condom, and then wiping its contents onto her underwear. Dr Schneeberger said that he'd realized he was being set up by Candice from the moment she lodged her report. So when the police initially asked for a blood sample, he concocted a scheme to foil the DNA test. Two weeks after the alleged rape on October 31, 1992, the doctor had an appointment with a young male patient who had a stomach complaint. Under the guise of treating him, Dr Schneeberger withdrew the patient's blood, deliberately taking more than he needed.

Then he placed it in a fridge in his clinic. Hours before he was required to provide his first blood sample on November 16, Dr Schneeberger took a scalpel and sliced his left upper arm, deep into his bicep. Then he took a 15cm long plastic tube that he'd filled with his patient's blood and inserted it into the cut, forcing the tube inside his arm and down to his elbow. From the outside, it looked like a protruding vein. When the lab technician took a sample from Dr Schneeberger, he insisted that it would need to be taken from his arm, not his finger. Because Dr Schneeberger wasn't under arrest, the police were relying on his cooperation and could only take what he would allow them to. Unknowingly, the technician had inserted the syringe into the prominent tube instead of a vein and withdrawn someone else's blood. Dr Schneeberger repeated the same process every time he had to provide more blood.

In video footage of him providing his third sample in 1996, there is a moment where the top of the tube can be seen protruding from the doctor's skin as he rolls up his sleeve for the test. By the time he gave this third and final sample, the blood he had taken from his patient four years earlier had grown old and died. When it was sent off for DNA testing, a report came back that it was too degraded to provide a profile. Investigators approached the patient whose blood was used by Dr Schneeberger and asked if they could test his DNA. It came back as a perfect match to the blood provided in the doctor's first two tests. In addition to the charge of aggravated sexual assault against his stepdaughter, Dr Schneeberger was charged with one count of sexual assault against Candice Foster. He was also charged with two counts of administering a noxious substance to commit an indictable offense and one count of obstruction of justice. His medical license was suspended and he finally went to trial in September of 1999.

Prosecutors informed the court that the defendant was an intelligent but manipulative man who could not control his sexual impulses. Dr Schneeberger took the stand in his defense, saying that the police and his accusers were out to get him. He repeated his theory that Candice Foster had stolen his semen to frame him and explained how he had used the patient's blood as his only defense against the crooked system. Candice stared at him wide-eyed as he revealed the way he had thwarted the DNA tests. She later described the description of the surgery he'd performed on himself as disgusting. Hearing the gory lengths he had gone to to evade capture had left her feeling as though she was going to have a panic attack. When it came time for Candice to give evidence, she stood her ground as Dr Schneeberger's lawyer tried to undermine her testimony. Candice later said in an episode of Forensic Files,

I was a bulldog on the stand. I kicked his lawyer's ass. I showed him who was boss. Lisa Schneeberger and her daughter Amy also gave evidence against the man who had once been a part of their family. On November 25, 1999, Dr John Schneeberger was found guilty of sexually assaulting Candice and Amy, of drugging Candice and obstruction of justice. However, the presiding judge acquitted Dr Schneeberger of aggravated sexual assault against Amy and of drugging her. The doctors claim that he was framed by Candice was dismissed as, quote, inventive, fanciful and imaginative. Despite the evidence against him, Dr Schneeberger remained a popular figure in Kipling and half of those in the public gallery hung their heads in sorrow upon hearing the verdict. Others, including Candice Foster and her supporters, clapped and cheered, with some people calling out, by John. Although the charges Dr Schneeberger was convicted of were enough to result in a life sentence, he was given just six years in prison.

Upon hearing the length of the sentence, those celebrating his conviction grew quiet and solemn. Candice would later tell the media that the amount of time the doctor had received was shorter than the length she had waited to hear it. Even when John Schneeberger was behind bars, many people throughout Kipling remained convinced that he was innocent. Some speculated that he had been framed by Candice and the RCMP. Candice dismissed Dr Schneeberger's supporters as disgruntled and ignorant former patients with no understanding of the pain and trauma he had caused. Even though Lisa Schneeberger had publicly supported her husband for years before turning against him, suspicious locals theorized that she had forced her daughter to accuse him of rape. In an interview with the Calgary Herald newspaper, Lisa asked, What would I have to gain from setting my daughter up to it? I had a husband I adored and a beautiful family. Why would I trade in that for the nightmare I'm living now?

The only doubt I have in my mind is what part of our marriage was real. Lisa divorced Dr Schneeberger and changed her name. Even though the former doctor was now a convicted sexual offender serving time, the courts demanded that Lisa allow him visitation time with their two daughters, now aged five and six. Lisa refused, not wanting to take her children to a prison or make them spend time with the man who had raped their older sister. She was issued with a $2,000 fine for ignoring the court's orders and paid it in full. When her struggle came to the public's attention, people rallied around Lisa in support. In April 2001, when she was once again required to take her daughters to see their father, 100 protesters gathered outside the prison on the day of the visit. Lisa's daughters cried as she led them to the interview room, and their obvious distress led to the court appointed social worker canceling the meeting at the last minute.

Eventually, Dr Schneeberger agreed to give up his parental rights and visitation was no longer required. In 2003, Schneeberger was released on parole after serving four years. He moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, the same city where Candace Foster was residing. Speaking to the media, she remarked, I guess I can't escape him. Stripped of his medical license, John Schneeberger took up work with a demolition crew, but his time in his adopted country was to be short-lived as a campaign began to revoke his Canadian citizenship as well. John Schneeberger had become a Canadian citizen in 1993, the year after Candace first accused him of rape. His ex-wife Lisa pointed out that if he hadn't cheated a DNA test with a stolen blood sample, then his status as a rapist would have been known when his application was lodged.

Consequently, he should have never received citizenship at all. Canadian authorities agreed, and in 2004, the now 43-year-old John Schneeberger lost his citizenship. He had a garage sale to get rid of his belongings, and some friends and supporters threw him a going-away party before he was deported to South Africa in July. Schneeberger moved in with his mother in Durban. He attempted to join the Health Professions Council of South Africa in a bid to work in medicine once again. Just as the council was considering his application, he made the sudden and unexplained decision to withdraw it. In John Schneeberger's homeland, the South African press have dubbed him Dr Rape. His ex-wife Lisa came to view the man she once believed was her best friend and soulmate as a pathological liar and remorseless predator.

Her greatest regret was not believing Candace Foster, and she blamed herself for the abuse that later took place in her home. When Lisa heard that John Schneeberger had finally left Canada, she told the Saskatchewan News Network, quote, I'm elated. It is such a relief to know he's gone. It has often been a long and painful journey. I am so looking forward to closing that last final chapter and putting that book away forever. Candace Foster had dreams about John Schneeberger for years. In some, he chased her down while she tried to escape and she would wake up screaming. In others, she would pursue him with a gun, waking only after she had shot him in the head. I don't know if it will ever go away, she told the Calgary Herald in an interview.

When you are raped, it never ever goes away. Candace took John Schneeberger to court in a civil suit and was eventually awarded $75,000, but it is unclear whether she received this money. Candace told newspaper The Edmonton Journal that she was less concerned about the money than she was some form of compensation for all that she had lost. He stole time with my baby daughter from me. I'm never going to get those years back. About a decade after her attack, Candace co-wrote a script about the ordeal which was subsequently made into a film called I Accus. Her hope was that it would inspire other survivors of rape to come forward to share their stories. No matter how they are perceived by their communities. Thank you.