Evening star., 1946-11-24
Foster Parents
And Girl SIain;;
Boy, 14,IsHe|d
Ross H. Snyder, D. c.
Lawyer. and Wife
Killed in Home


Washington attorney, and his
equally prominent wife andi'
adopted daughter, Jane Ann, 12,l
were shot to death yesterday inl
their country home near Darnes-I
town, Md. The tragedy was first
revealed when the couples IA
year-old adopted son, Robert
Whitlock Snyder, walked into the
Bethesda police station and an
nounced that he had killed them.
He has been charged with mur-
der, Joseph B. Simpson, States ats
torney for Montgomery County, an.
nounced last night.
Young Snyder, known as Bobby"
now Is held in juvenile, detention
headquarters in the Rockville jail.
After the boy told his startling
tale, he was taken to Rockville and
police hastened to the historic coun-
try home of the Snyders where the
bodies of the three were found
sprawled on the kitchen floor.
AL had been shot in the head
with shotgun, and had been dead
for several hours.
Attended Movie Later.
According to the boys story, as
related by police, he and a friend
attended movie, 'The Cockeyed
Miracle" at Washington suburban.
theater Immediately after the shoot.
ing. He drove the family car to
Washington, it was said. It was
after the movie that he went to
the Bethesda police station to tell
his story of the tragedy, police de-
clared.
Police found grim verification Of
the boys story when they took him
to the family's home, known as THE
Naples" The home is halfway
between Darnestown and Seneca.
Policemen Marion Dayhof and
Clark Dovell of the Rockville pre-
cinct were the first officers to ar.
rive at the house. They discovered
the bodies after breaking q window
to gain admission. All were lying
within 3 feet of one another on the
kitchen floor.
The table was set and the family
apparently had eaten the midday
meal
States Attorney Tells Story.
States Attorney Simpson, sitting
in his Office in the Montgomery
County Court House in Rockville
late last night, gave an account of
the story as he said the boy had told
it to him.
About noon the boy, Robert, had
an argument with his parents over
the fact that they were going to
take his privileges away ana told
him he was not to be allowed to go
out until he was 81. He had gone
cut Friday night with young girl.
After the argument, he went up-
stairs, changed his clothes, got a
double-barreled shotgun and some
shells.
He then came downstairs, loaded
the gun and fatally shot the father
and mother, reloaded and then shot
his 12-year-old sister, Ann. AL Of
them were in the kitchen.
THE sister did not cry out when
she was shot," Mr.. Simpson quoted
the boy as saying. "The boy re-
loaded again and then shot the
father and mother again in the
head. The father was shot in the
right side. The mother was shot In
the right breast. The sister was
shot behind the left ear.
Then Went to Show.
"He took the fathers wallet
which had about SIS in it and went
into Washington, after taking tho
family car.
HE got hold of a teen-aged Wash.
ington friend in Northwest WASH
ington and they went to the Calvert
Theater.
Robert told his friend the story.
but the friend would not believe
him.
Driving away from the picture
show he ran out of gas. After re-
fueling, he came to the Bethesda
police station just before 6 o'clock
and confessed" Mr.. Simpson said.
Asked by reporters why the boy
had given himself up, Mr.. Simpson
said:
'It was his conscience, I suppose
Bodies in Kitchen.
Coroner J. Frank Broschart also
found all three had been shot with
a double-barreled 20-gauge shotgun.
Mr.. and Mrs. Snyder, the coroner
said, apparently had been shot twice
each, once through the chest and
again by second charges which par
TALLY severed their heads, presum-
1Cao or AvTNIC. 49,