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Friend Of Mom Accused Of Murdering Kids Says She Planned To Kill Herself After Arrest

Lisa Snyder claimed she found her two young children hanging from the rafters of their Albany Township home by a single dog leash.

By Gina Tron
Documents Detail Accused Killer Mom's Bullying Claims

A Pennsylvania mother accused of killing her two young children and then staging their murders as a double suicide planned to kill herself if she was arrested in connection with their deaths, a witness says.

The new details were revealed Wednesday, February 12, as a judge ordered Lisa Snyder, 37, to stand trial. The ruling was decided after nearly four hours of testimony.

Snyder was charged late last year with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, tampering with evidence, endangering the welfare of children, and animal cruelty.  She’s accused of plotting the murders of her children, Conner Snyder, 8, and Brinley Snyder, 4, and covering up their deaths to look like a suicide.

Snyder called 911 in September, claiming she found the children unresponsive and hanging by a single dog leash from the basement rafters of their Albany Township home. While the mother initially claimed her son had made threats of suicide as a result of bullying, investigators later determined that the child was not bullied and that suicide wasn’t the culprit.

Snyder’s own alleged suicidal plans were discussed during part of Wednesday’s testimony. Her friend Jessica Senft told the court that a week after the children’s deaths, Snyder told her she expected to be arrested for their deaths, The Morning Call reports. However, she assumed, according to Senft, that she would be released on bail because of her clean criminal record.

“And when she got out, she would kill herself,” Senft claimed her friend suggested. 

Snyder has been held without bail since her arrest.

In addition to being accused of killing her children, she’s also accused of sexually abusing the family dog. She allegedly sent at least three photos of herself engaging in sexual acts with a dog to an unnamed person, charging documents indicate.

Snyder’s formal arraignment has been scheduled for March 12. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether or not they will seek the death penalty.