|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Lisa Snyder, 41, the Pennsylvania mother convicted of hanging her two young children in the basement of their home five years ago, was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Snyder also received an additional sentence of 8 to 17 years, to be served after her life terms, for convictions on child endangerment and evidence tampering, according to WPVI.
Snyder faced a bench trial last month, where President Judge M. Theresa Johnson found her guilty on all counts. The judge rejected defense arguments that Snyder should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, CrimeOnline reported.
Snyder had called 911 on the day of the incident, saying she discovered her children, Conner Snyder, 8, and Brinley Snyder, 4, hanging from a wired cable. At the time, Snyder claimed Conner had been bullied and was suicidal. However, Snyder’s older son and other witnesses said they were unaware of Conner being bullied or suicidal. Investigators later found internet searches on Snyder’s phone related to suicide and murder, leading to her arrest.
Prosecutors argued that Snyder had been planning to kill Conner for some time and had previously lost custody of her children in 2014 after expressing thoughts of harming him. They said Snyder put her plan into action in 2019, though she initially did not intend to harm her daughter, Brinley. However, when Brinley entered the room while Snyder was hanging Conner, prosecutors said Snyder made the decision to kill her as well to eliminate a witness.
Prosecutors described the harrowing scene, stating that Brinley urinated on herself as she watched from a corner while her mother set up a second chair and used the dog lead she had purchased to kill Conner to also hang Brinley.
