A judge in Berks County, PA, officially sentenced Lisa Snyder, now 41, for the horrific killings of her two children five years ago
A Pennsylvania mom, Lisa Snyder, 41, has officially been sentenced to life in prison for the gruesome murders of her two young children, who were found hanging from dog leashes in their home’s basement five years ago.
Berks County Court of Common Pleas Judge M. Theresa Johnson ordered Lisa Snyder, of Kempton, Pennsylvania, to serve two consecutive sentences of life in a state correctional facility for the horrific slayings of 8-year-old Connor and 4-year-old Brinley. One of the children survived the ordeal.
Snyder was found guilty of two counts of murder per child, endangering the welfare of a child, and tampering with physical evidence, the latter two charges adding an additional 8 1/2 years to 17 years to her life sentence.
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Snyder had initially claimed that her 8-year-old son, Conner, was a victim of bullying and had threatened to take his own life, but authorities found no evidence to support this claim.
School bus security footage from the day of the incident showed no signs of distress from the boy, and an occupational therapist testified that he wasn’t physically capable of causing such harm to himself or his 4-year-old sister, Brinley.
The prosecution highlighted Snyder’s suspicious online search history, which included queries about suicide, death by hanging, and episodes of a crime documentary series. The coroner confirmed that both children died from hanging and classified their deaths as homicides.
The jury delivered a guilty verdict on two counts of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without parole on September 26.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, the defense argued for acquittal, claiming the case was based on speculation and “guesswork.”
Snyder chose to have her case heard by a judge rather than a jury. After an hour of deliberation on Tuesday, Berks County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Theresa Johnson found Snyder guilty of crimes including child endangerment and evidence tampering.
Previously, Snyder tried to plead no contest but mentally ill to two third-degree murder charges; nonetheless, last year, Judge Johnson rejected that plea, declaring it didn’t “serve the interests of justice.”
