Marie Snyder. PHOTO PROVIDED

A Lycoming County mother pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and other offenses related to intentionally going along with her former girlfriend to starve her two young daughters to death while collecting cash assistance as if they were alive.

A sobbing Marie Sue Snyder, 33, acknowledged to county Judge Nancy L. Butts her role in the starvation plot that resulted in the demise of Nicole Elisabeth, 6, and Jasmine Jean Snyder, 4. Their bodies were found in shallow graves on the Livermore Road property in Hepburn Township last November. Snyder was arrested by Old Lycoming Township Police Officer Robert A. Mausteller.

The plea agreement, offered by District Attorney Ryan Gardner, was for a sentence of two life in prison terms, running consecutively, without the possibility of parole, along with about $130,000 combined in fines.

Gardner initially filed a notice to seek the death penalty. Snyder has agreed to provide testimony should Echo Butler, her former girlfriend, go to trial.

The fraudulent acceptance of the cash assistance will run concurrently with the first life sentence, Butts said. The arresting officer in that case was Maria Lesh of the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General.

Butts noted how Snyder was present to plead guilty and that the charges were two counts of conspiracy to commit homicide, theft by deception and fraudulently obtaining food stamps and cash assistance.

In her plea, Snyder said her former girlfriend had controlled her.

“I’m missing my babies,” she said. “I let somebody control me.”

Snyder was overwhelmed, breathed too fast, became distraught and physically unable to continue before Butts for a few minutes.

Her older daughter died in May 2016 and the younger in August 2017.

Gardner said the intentional starvation included physical abuse. The girls lost their hair; their skin turned pale and lips white, he said. The girls suffered lacerations and verbal abuse.

Over the course of the year in question, Snyder admitted to Butts that she did not seek medical attention and acknowledged committing theft by deception and fraudulently obtaining food stamps and cash assistance — knowing the girls had died.

Butts asked Snyder to go over the period of time that it took to starve the girls.

“Over a year,” she said.

During the time, Snyder said she and her ex-girlfriend agreed to give little or nothing in the way of food to the girls.

Butts asked Snyder if the domestic relations office checked in about giving support and, if her daughters were deceased at that time, that she did not indicate they were dead.

“Yes,” she replied.

Snyder also admitted to accepting the cash assistance.

Snyder said Butler’s mother, Michele Butler, was aware of what was happening to the girls.

Meanwhile, Echo Butler is scheduled to take the case to trial.

Her mother is scheduled to plead in December.

Snyder has agreed to testify on behalf of the prosecution in court should Echo Butler take the case to trial.

Snyder has the right to be sentenced within 90 days of her plea, but sentencing may be delayed until after trial, if it happens. A trial date for Echo Butler has not been set, chief County Public Defender Nicole Spring said.