Lisa Snyder, a Pennsylvania woman, has been sentenced to two life terms without parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two young children, 4-year-old Brinley and 8-year-old Conner. The children were found hanging in the basement of their home in 2019 and later taken off life support before passing away. President Judge Theresa Johnson described the crime as the most violent murder she had seen and noted that Snyder showed no remorse. Snyder’s older son, Owen, called her a “monster” and said he no longer considers her his mother. He expressed regret that his siblings will never get the chance to meet his newborn son.
Snyder had claimed that her son was bullied and threatened to take his own life, but authorities found no evidence to support this. Police discovered that Snyder had made online searches related to suicide and how to kill someone, as well as watching a documentary about criminals. The defense tried unsuccessfully to get an acquittal, arguing that the case was based on speculation. Snyder had attempted to plead no contest but mentally ill to third-degree murder, but the judge rejected this plea agreement. The coroner ruled that both children were killed by hanging and classified the deaths as homicides. Overall, this case is a tragic example of filicide, and the severe sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime.
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