St. Paul man sentenced to nearly nine years for 2021 crash that killed U doctor

A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to causing a 2021 crash that killed a University of Minnesota physician was sentenced Friday to nearly nine years in prison.

Norman Toney, 36, pleaded guilty last summer in Ramsey County District Court to criminal vehicular homicide, gross negligence, in the death of Dr. Daniel Schnobrich.

Toney was given credit for the roughly two years he has spent jailed since the crash and must pay Schnobrich's family $2,400 in restitution.

Toney was quiet walking into court Friday, occasionally smiling at his family as his attorney Cara Gilbert argued for a shorter sentence. Gilbert said Toney had proved he would benefit from probation, signing himself up for group sessions and Bible study, and taking medication for his mental health and chemical dependency.

"He is, perhaps, the most motivated client I have worked with. I've never seen a client pull together those kind of opportunities" at the Ramsey County jail, Gilbert said.

"If we truly believe in public safety ... we have to give [people] that opportunity to change. And it doesn't come with the DOC [Department of Corrections]."

Toney asked Schnobrich's family for forgiveness.

But prosecutors and family members said Toney was reckless the night of the crash. He had used cocaine, they said, and was speeding at more than 100 mph before colliding with Schnobrich's car at Hamline Avenue and Hwy. 96 in Arden Hills on the evening of Nov. 9, 2021.

Toney was charged with criminal vehicular homicide and second-degree manslaughter. He was driving with a suspended license and had two previous convictions for drunken driving, three for driving after his license was revoked and one for speeding.

Schnobrich, 40, an Arden Hills father of three and a U pediatric and palliative care doctor, was on his way to work at the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center at the time of the collision. His car was hit with such force that Schnobrich's seat belt broke and its dislodged engine block was found hanging from the passenger side door. Schnobrich died hours later.

Jennifer Schnobrich, who said she has spent countless hours thinking of her older brother's death, read a statement in court and shared another from his widow, Rachel Schnobrich, that said in part: "Dan was an amazing spouse. ... I couldn't have been happier with him as a husband, and I couldn't have been luckier to watch him thrive as a dad."

According to Rachel's statement, their children sometimes cuddle with their father's clothes when they miss him. "Watching them suffer is worse than watching my own," she wrote.

"Dan died. Those were the only two words I recall my sobbing daughter-in-law softly mumble as she walked in the door at 3 a.m.," Jeffrey Schnobrich said. "Dan was going to be sure that he was there for his kids, except now he's gone ... why was I not the one to die?"

Judge Elena Ostby refused to grant Toney a shorter sentence, but said she hopes family members will help rehabilitate him after his release. Toney could spend the last two years of his sentence on supervised release if he shows good behavior.