Death Penalty Sought In Starvation Death Of 2 Young Girls In PA

LYCOMING COUNTY, PA — The death penalty will be sought against a mother and a second woman who starved two children to death in Pennsylvania in Nov. 2021, according to authorities and media reports.

Marie Sue Snyder, 32, and Echo Butler, 26, both face first degree murder charges. They're due to be arraigned this week.

Lycoming County District Attorney District Attorney Ryan Gardner filed the neccessary paperwork to pursue the death penalty this week, PennLive first reported. The state requires prosecutors to include a notice of "aggravating circumstances" that would justify the death penalty.

The girls, Jasman and Nicole Snyder, were found buried behind a trailer home in Hepburn on Nov. 8. They were last seen in 2015; Nicole died in 2016 at 6 and Jasman died in 2017 at 4, according to Old Lycoming Township Police Department Chief Chris Kriner.

The fact that police said they died a year apart — indicating prolonged criminal activity that was well planned out — was among the aggravated circumstances used by Gardner.

Nicole weighed just 10 pounds when she died, and testimony stated that she was not given food or water in the last two weeks of her life, police said.

Jasmine weighed 5 pounds when she died, police said, and noted that similar treatment precipiated her death.

The girls' grandfather reportedly said that Snyder offered to give the girls to her ex-husband if he gave up rights to their 7-year-old son, who lived with Snyder and Echo.