Trial begins for Ohio parents accused of killing son

HAMILTON COUNTY — Seven years after the death of their son, the trial started for two Ohio parents who have been accused of abusing and murdering him, according to our media partners in Cincinnati, WCPO.

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John and Katherine Snyder are facing multiple charges of murder, aggravated assault, and child endangerment, WCPO reported.

The trial started Friday, Oct. 13, in Hamilton County.

The Snyder’s were accused of abusing their children, several of whom were adopted from China, and allegedly killing their son Adam.

They were arrested in upstate New York in September 2022.

The prosecutors said all the children were deprived of medical care, malnourished, and more.

Court documents show the Snyders living in Springfield Township at the time of Adam’s death.

Allegedly, they did not feed Adam for more than a month-long period in 2016, WCPO reported.

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

In court, prosecutors said Katherine took Adam to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Oct. 4, 2016.

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“He’s described as skin and bones and gray in color,” Lefton said. “They were concerned for his health.”

Katherine took Adam home that day, but promised to bring him back the next, Lefton said.

Adam was pronounced dead at the hospital on Oct. 5, 2016.

The coroner ruled Adam’s death a homicide as he sustained blunt force trauma to the back of his head, WCPO reported.

Leading up to Adam’s death, he had soiled himself on the morning of Oct. 5, the prosecution said.

“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,” Lefton said.

Katherine allegedly slammed Adam onto the ground before taking him and then laying him on the floor of John’s office, the prosecution said.

John allegedly checked on the unresponsive boy before Katherine eventually called 911, the prosecution continued.

Katherine’s defense attorney, Jeremy Evans, told a different story in court on Friday. Oct. 13.

Evans said evidence shows that Adam died of natural causes due to both diagnosed and undiagnosed medical and neuropsychiatric issues.

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The Snyders previously sued the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office saying they hired medical experts who determined Adam’s cause of death, but the case was dismissed, WCPO reported.

“His body and his parents posted road signs along the way, but the physicians failed to pay attention until it was too late,” Evans said.

The defense said Adam showed signs of his undiagnosed issues caused him to refuse to eat or dress himself, as well as smear feces regularly.

Evans said Katherine found Adam unresponsive on the morning of Oct. 5 and called 911.

He continued and said the prosecution didn’t have enough evidence to pursue a trial seven years ago, and none to validate the charges now, WCPO reported.

The prosecution has said there has never been any doubt that the Snyders caused Adam’s death, but the delay was to give the other adopted children time to mature, the station said.

After Adam’s death was determined by the coroner’s office, the Snyders’ other children, four adopted and one biological, went under the care of Katherine’s sister.

The other Snyder children are now capable of testifying in court. At the time of Adam’s death, they were all young and knew little English, the prosecution said at their arraignment in 2022.

One witness testified in court on Friday, and that was Dr. Mary Staat, who is an infectious disease specialist at Cincinnati Children’s.

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She was called to the stand by the prosecution.

Staat said Adam had club feet and other abnormalities that impacted the way he moved, WCPO reported.

She also said the Snyders declined the full evaluation that she would normally do on a child who had been adopted from another country.

The trial for Katherine and John is set to continue Monday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m., in the Hamilton County Courthouse.

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