Brothers will stand trial in February 2016 for Parkdale murder

The Schneiders’ trial is expected to take three weeks, from February 16 to March 4. Both face life in prison if determined guilty.

The Schneider brothers were originally arrested on June 3. At the time, Muschaweck had been considered missing since May 2014. When the brothers appeared at the Hood River County Courthouse last Tuesday via video feed from Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility, a judge raised their bail to $1 million, according to court records. Previously the two Schneiders had been held on a “no bail hold,” with no chance of release from jail.

A third brother, Peter Schneider, remains in NORCOR with a $7,500 cash bail. Peter was initially accused of burglary and theft — however, following the June grand jury hearing, he and his brothers were dealt new charges of criminal conspiracy and aggravated animal abuse. The latter accusation refers to the shooting and stabbing of Muschaweck’s dog, which has since recovered from its wounds.

Peter’s attorney, Sheri Thonstad, moved on July 15 for Peter to be released with a reduced bail, according to court records. In an oral argument, she said “the current amount of bail is much beyond (the) defendant’s means … he has no income.”

She explained that Peter Schneider has his GED and was looking into technical schools for welding prior to his arrest. Peter Schneider remained in NORCOR with a full bail amount intact as of Friday, according to NORCOR’s online inmate roster. All three Schneiders are scheduled for their next status hearing on September 15. The trial for Donald and Michael Schneider is slated to begin February 16.