A Pennsylvania mother who allegedly had sex with a pit bull before hanging her two children with a dog leash appeared at her murder trial with a slimmed down new look.
Lisa Snyder, 41, looked much slimmer than she did in her September 2019 mugshot as she appeared before a court in Reading on Friday.
The judges trying her were shown the silver dog leash she is accused of hanging her eight year-old son Conner and four year-old daughter Brinley with five years ago.
Snyder remained impassive as two cops wearing blue plastic gloves produced the macabre exhibit before the bench trial.
A slimmed down Lisa Snyder, 41, faces charges of first-degree murder, child endangerment and evidence tampering in the September 2019 deaths of her two children
She denies murder and has suggested Conner – who was being bullied at school – killed himself to escape the torment, while also killing his sister because he did not want to die alone.
Snyder was initially also investigated over claims she’d had sex with her pet pit bull shortly before the killings, but cops dropped that probe as their murder investigation continued.
The trial began Monday, with the court told how Snyder had used her phone to Google ‘How to hang yourself’ and search for a show called ‘Almost Got Away With It’ days before Conner and Brinley died.
A further gory twist saw the tall wooden kitchen chairs Conner and Brinley had been hanged from brought into court.
Snyder remained emotionless, with her lawyers insisting the evidence against her is all conjecture.
Snyder’s children were taken off life support and died three days after they were found in the home in Albany Township, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Snyder blamed her son for killing his sister and then himself, claiming he was suicidal due to bullying
Snyder allegedly made internet searches in the weeks, days and hours leading up to the children’s deaths looking for the ‘best ways to commit suicide and how to get away with murder’
During testimony this week, the tall wooden kitchen chairs involved in the incident that led to the deaths of the two children were brought into the courtroom directly in front of Snyder. She is pictured here in a 2023 photo
Brinley, 4, and Conner, 8, were found hanging from opposite ends of the same dog leash in basement of their Pennsylvania home
.Both of the children were in cardiac arrest when they were found by authorities but were able to be resuscitated, The children died in hospital a few days later
Snyder’s defense outlined in their argument how the suicide instruction website might also connect to connect to suicide prevention info.
Footprints were found on the chairs, with one said to belong to Conner.
Snyder, who made the initial 911 call, had told police her son was bullied and had been threatening to take his own life, but authorities were immediately suspicious of her claim of suicide, and said they found no evidence to support it.
The boy showed no outward signs of trouble on school bus security video recorded that day, and an occupational therapist later said he wasn’t physically capable of causing that kind of harm to himself or his little sister.
Snyder also admitted going to a store to buy a dog lead on the day the children were found hanging from it, authorities said.
Snyder called for help later saying how she was unable to get them down from where they were hanging because she was suffering from extreme anxiety.
Both youngsters were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they died after being taken off life support three days later.
A coroner said both children were killed by hanging and ruled the deaths homicides.
A much larger Snyder is seen during an earlier court hearing from 2020
Police they have uncovered Snyder’s Google searches related to suicide by hanging. She is pictured here during her first arrest in December 2019
‘I don’t think that I can stand up here, nor can anyone, explain the horrific loss of two innocent children’s lives. I think it goes without explanation,’ Adams, the prosecutor, told reporters when Snyder was charged in December 2019, more than two months after the killings.
The defense had planned an insanity defense, citing a ‘chronic history of severe mental disorders.’
Her lawyer has said Snyder had severe depression, borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder and other mental illness at the time of the homicides.
Prosecutors have indicated they are pushing for Snyder to receive the death penalty but will face life behind bars if she’s convicted of first-degree murder.
It will be up to the judge, rather than a jury, to make that decision.