Trial begins for parents accused of killing adopted son, abusing 5 other kids

By Mike Schell

John Snyder II and Katherine Snyder, both 51, face 26 total charges: four counts of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and 14 counts of endangering children.

The charges stem from 8-year-old Adam Snyder’s death in October 2016.

The Snyders purposely caused the blunt-force trauma death of 8-year-old Adam Snyder in October 2016, according to Hamilton County court records.

Adam was one of six children with learning disabilities the couple adopted from China, court documents show.

“On the surface, you think this looks like a really great situation,” Assistant Prosecutor Stacy Lefton said Friday during opening statements. “Here’s these two people; they already have three children of their own, and they’re willing to open up their home and their hearts to take in these children from another country in an orphanage.”

The prosecutor said about seven months later, in October 2016, Katherine rushed Adam to Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead due to a blunt force traumatic impact to his head.

Lefton claimed on the morning of Adam’s death, Katherine punished him for defecating in his pants.

“And the routine punishment in the Snyder home for soiling yourself was to place these children in cold showers and baths and smear feces on them,” the prosecutor told the court. ”And not only did that happen, but they, Katherine, picked him up and slammed him on the ground and caused this subdural hemorrhage to the back of his head.”

The Snyders’ attorney, Jeremy Evans, argued that Adam died of natural causes.

Evans said Adam’s injury was a result of his behavior.

“He became more aggressive with others, hitting and tripping them,” Evans said. “He became more aggressive with his self-harming behavior, banging his head, bruising his body creating pressure sores, picking at his wound.”

The defense said Katherine did not injure her son.

“The evidence will show that on Oct. 4, this came to a head when Kate woke up and found Adam covered in feces,” the defense attorney explained. “She placed him in a bathtub and going for a few seconds to get soap, came back and found him face down in the water.”

Lefton said the Snyders didn’t immediately take Adam to the hospital after the bathtub incident.

“This poor kid comes from China, from an orphanage to this family, and what do they do? They kill him,” Lefton said.

Hamilton County court records say the abuse happened when the Snyders lived on Conrad Drive in Springfield Township, but they were living in New York at the time of their arrest.

The Snyders’ other five children were found severely malnourished and had signs of physical abuse, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Those surviving children were the ones who gave the authorities the information leading to their indictments in October, the prosecutor’s office said.

Now that the kids are older and safe, the prosecutor’s office said they were able to disclose details of what happened in Springfield Township years ago.

The trial resumes on Monday when the prosecution is expected to call the Springfield Township police officer who launched the investigation into the Snyders.