Pennsylvania mother convicted of hanging children’s deaths – NBC10 Philadelphia

A Pennsylvania mother who killed her two young children by hanging them in the family home has been sentenced to two life terms in prison, according to the Berks County district attorney.

On Thursday, a judge sentenced Lisa Snyder of Berks County a month after her conviction on two counts of first-degree murder.

In 2019, Snyder’s eight-year-old son Conner and four-year-old daughter Brinley were found hanging in the basement of their Albany Township home.

The siblings were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where they died three days later.

Snyder had told police that her son was being bullied and had threatened to take his life, but authorities said they had found no evidence to support her claim. The boy showed no signs of trouble on school bus surveillance video that day.

An occupational therapist later said the child was physically incapable of causing such harm to himself or his sister.

Police also cited Snyder’s online searches for information on suicide, death by hanging and how to kill someone, as well as episodes of a documentary crime series called “I Almost Got Away With It.”

A coroner said both children died by hanging and ruled them murders.

The defense had asked for an acquittal, saying the case was based on speculation and “guesswork.”

Snyder opted for a judge instead of a jury to hear the case. It took about an hour for Berks County Court of Common Pleas President Theresa Johnson to deliver a guilty verdict. Snyder was also convicted of child endangerment and tampering with evidence.