Alleged killer mom Lisa Snyder, left, could be put to death if convicted of hanging son Conner, 8, and four year-old daughter Brinley

A mother accused of having sex with her pet pit bull before fatally hanging her two young children could be executed if convicted. Prosecutors have pushed for Lisa Snyer to be tried with capital murder over the deaths of her eight year-old son Conner, and four year-old Brinley at her home in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in September 2019.

Aggravating factors put before an arraignment hearing last month include the number of victims, their age, and the fact that the crimes were committed in tandem with another felony – Snyder’s alleged sexual intercourse with her family’s dog. A judge has yet to decide whether Snyder should face those upgraded counts.



Snyder was charged with her children’s murders in December 2019, having initially claimed that Conner had murdered his sister, before hanging himself. The alleged killer said her son had complained about being bullied, and also said that he had expressed suicidal thoughts, but told her that did not want to die alone. Snyder claimed to have found the youngsters hanging from the same dog lead draped over a beam afterwards, with two upturned chairs underneath them.

The children were rushed to a nearby emergency room, and died after being taken off life support three days later. Prosecutor Margaret McCollum rubbished Snyders’ version of events at a previous hearing, telling the court: ‘Conner was incapable of doing this to himself. He was incapable of doing this to his sister.’


Snyder claims Connor hanged Brinley and himself because he was being bullied at school, but prosecutors say her story is a pack of lies

McCollum said Snyder had only bought the lead used in the children’s deaths the day before, and added that a child Conner’s age would not have had the dexterity needed to tie the knots ultimately used to kill him and his sister. Police went on to discover that Conner was happy at school and had lots of friends, with teachers dismissing his mother’s claims that he was being bullied, The Morning Call reported.

Several weeks before the children’s deaths, Snyder reportedly shared a live video of herself having sex with the dog, and wrote: ‘He’s eating my p**** daddy.’

‘He keeps moving everytime the flash goes off,’ Snyder wrote, in an apparent reference to her pet. And hours later, she sent a photo of a ‘black and white dog performing oral sex’ on her, police wrote. The alleged bestiality was uncovered during a police investigation into Conner and Brinley’s deaths.

Snyder’s friend Jessica Senft told the court that the alleged killer had plotted to kill herself if she was freed on bail. Snyder is due back in court for a procedural hearing on June 29.