Judge issues warning to both sides as trial continues for Springfield Township couple

By Ken Brown

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) - The judge overseeing the trial of the Springfield Township couple accused of killing their 8-year-old son issued a stern warning to both sides on Tuesday.

The warning from Judge Wende Cross came after concerns were raised that someone tried to make contact with a child witness who gave testimony in the trial of John and Katherine Snyder on Monday.

“The court has a duty to make sure that these proceedings do not cause trauma to these minor children, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Judge Cross said. “I will have you arrested, plain and simple. You can explain it to me after you get out of the justice center.”

John and Katherine face 26 total charges in connection with the 2016 death of their adoptive son, 8-year-old Adam Snyder, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

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

The couple’s other adopted children were found malnourished and had signs of physical abuse, according to prosecutors.

For the second day in a row, one of the Snyder children took the stand.

On Tuesday, the child was asked, "Do you feel safe around the Snyders?”

The child’s response was, “No.”

When the child was asked why, the response was, “I don’t want to be around people that killed their own son.”

On the cross-examination, the defense asked who had told the child the Snyders killed their child.

The child answered, “No one.”

The defense was also able to establish with the child that 8-year-old Adam sometimes fell and hit his head, which is important because Adam’s cause of death was determined to be blunt-force trauma.