Mother Found Guilty in 2019 Hanging Deaths of Her Two Children in Berks County

Lisa Snyder, the mother charged in the 2019 hanging deaths of her two young children in their northern Berks County home, has been found guilty. The verdict was delivered late Tuesday afternoon by Berks County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Theresa M. Johnson in a bench trial held in a seventh-floor courtroom.

Snyder, 37, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and evidence tampering. The charges stem from the deaths of her 8-year-old son Conner and 4-year-old daughter Brinley, whom Snyder hanged from a beam in the basement of their home in Albany Township on September 23, 2019.

First responders found the children unresponsive, and they were flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital. After being taken off life support three days later, autopsies confirmed that both children died by hanging, and the deaths were ruled homicides by the Lehigh County coroner.

Throughout the trial, Snyder maintained that her son Conner was suicidal due to bullying and that the incident occurred as a result of his desire to “build a fort” in the basement. However, the prosecution presented evidence contradicting this account, including surveillance footage of Conner appearing happy and untroubled when he arrived home from school on the day of the incident.

Further investigation revealed that Snyder had ordered the dog lead used in the hangings the day before the children’s deaths and picked it up the morning of the crime. Snyder’s Google search history also included visits to a site offering instructions on how to hang oneself, further raising suspicion.

Multiple witnesses, including school officials, testified that Conner had never exhibited signs of depression or suicidal thoughts, undermining Snyder’s claims that bullying led to his death. Additionally, Snyder’s adult son, Owen, testified during the trial, referring to his mother by her first name and stating he no longer considered her his mother—a moment that drew visible emotion from Snyder.

Defense attorneys argued that Snyder’s long history of mental health issues may have driven her to a psychotic state, but prosecution experts rejected this, stating that Snyder was fully aware of her actions. The trial concluded with a guilty verdict after seven days of testimony.

After Berks County prosecutors rested their case on Friday morning, defense attorney Dennis Charles requested an immediate acquittal, arguing that the case was built on speculation, theory, and “all guesswork,” according to The Reading Eagle. The request was ultimately denied.

Charles argued that Lisa Snyder’s internet searches on suicide, hangings, carbon monoxide poisoning, and drug overdoses reflected her own suicidal thoughts rather than an intent to kill her children. He further claimed that prosecutors lacked physical evidence to support their case, and that Snyder’s 911 call and the reactions described by emergency responders were consistent with a mother finding her children hanging, not a perpetrator.

With the conviction, Snyder faces an automatic life sentence without parole under Pennsylvania law for first-degree murder. She will be sentenced in October. 
 
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