Current:Home > MarketsDefense calls Pennsylvania prosecutors’ case against woman in 2019 deaths of 2 children ‘conjecture’-LoTradeCoin
Defense calls Pennsylvania prosecutors’ case against woman in 2019 deaths of 2 children ‘conjecture’
View Date:2024-12-24 00:23:59
READING, Pa. (AP) — A defense attorney has dismissed as “conjecture” the prosecution’s case against a Pennsylvania woman charged with killing her two young children, who were found hanging in the basement of their home five years ago.
Lisa Snyder, 41, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, child endangerment and evidence-tampering in the September 2019 deaths of 4-year-old Brinley and 8-year-old Conner, who were taken off life support and died three days after they were found in the home in Albany Township, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.
After Berks County prosecutors rested their case late Friday morning, defense attorney Dennis Charles unsuccessfully sought an immediate acquittal, calling the case based on speculation and theory and “all guesswork,” The Reading Eagle reported.
Snyder had told police her son was bullied and had threatened to take his life, but authorities said they found no evidence to support her claim. The boy displayed no signs of trouble that day on a school bus security video. An occupational therapist later said he wasn’t physically capable of causing that kind of harm to himself or his little sister.
Police also cited the defendant’s online searches for information about 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.” Snyder also admitted going to a store to buy a dog lead on the day the children were found hanging from it, authorities said.
Charles said internet searches on suicide, hangings, carbon monoxide poisoning and drug overdoses indicated suicidal thoughts on her part rather than an intention to kill her children. He also said prosecutors lacked physical evidence to support their case, and a recording of Snyder’s 911 call and descriptions of her by emergency responders were consistent with what one would expect from a mother finding her children hanging.
“All you have is conjecture,” Charles said. Defense attorneys have also argued that if Snyder is determined to have killed her children, they planned to argue that she was insane and unable to tell right from wrong when she did so.
A judge last year rejected a plea agreement under which Snyder would have pleaded no contest but mentally ill to two counts of third-degree murder. Prosecutors earlier indicated an intention to seek the death penalty.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Full House Star Dave Coulier Shares Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Diagnosis
- Active shooters targeting the public spiked from 2019 to 2023 compared to prior 5-year period, FBI report says
- Defense rests for woman accused of killing her Boston officer boyfriend with SUV
- Supreme Court agrees to review Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors
- Taking stock of bonds: Does the 60/40 rule still have a role in retirement savings?
- Boxer Roy Jones Jr.’s Son DeAndre Dead at 32
- Jared Padalecki Shares How He Overcame Struggle With Suicidal Ideation
- Longest-serving Chicago City Council member gets 2 years in prison for corruption
- Disney x Lululemon Limited-Edition Collection: Shop Before It Sells Out
- 3,500 dog treat packages recalled over possible metal contamination, safety concerns
Ranking
- Video ‘bares’ all: Insurers say bear that damaged luxury cars was actually a person in a costume
- The secret to maxing out your 401(k) and IRA in 2024
- Hillary Clinton to release essay collection about personal and public life
- Banker in viral video who allegedly punched woman at Brooklyn Pride quits job at Moelis & Co.
- 'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
- I'm the parent of a trans daughter. There's nothing conservative about blocking her care.
- Girl name? Boy name? New parents care less about gender in naming their babies
- Morgan Wallen Hit in the Face With Fan’s Thong During Concert
Recommendation
-
Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
-
The Notebook Star Gena Rowlands Diagnosed With Alzheimer's Disease
-
Video: Two people rescued after plane flying from Florida crashes into water in Turks and Caicos
-
Dozens killed in Israeli strikes across northern Gaza amid continued West Bank violence
-
Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
-
CDK Global calls cyberattack that crippled its software platform a ransom event
-
Is potato salad healthy? Not exactly. Here's how to make it better for you.
-
Fort Wayne police officer fatally shoots man during traffic stop