Ex-wife in divorce court: Snyder had left for ‘unknown destination’

Posted at: 02/08/2010 7:43 PM | Updated at: 02/08/2010 7:49 PM
By: Misa Maruyama, Eyewitness News 4; Taryn Bianchin, KOB.com

The woman accused of shooting her ex-husband and then burying him in their yard may have lied to the courts when filing for her divorce; if she did, a local lawyer says the ruling could be annulled.

50-year-old Ellen Snyder filed for divorce less than four months after the date police suspect she killed her husband Michael.

According to court documents she got the balance in their joint checking or savings accounts and possession of their gated Northeast heights home, where Michael's remains were uncovered last week.

Why? Because Michael was a no-show during court proceedings.

Family law attorney Gretchen Walther explains, "She got what she asked for because when the other party doesn't participate in the lawsuit, you get to default them. You get to ask them for whatever you want."

Walther points out in the court affidavit that Ellen said Michael left Albuquerque for an unknown destination.

But police say she knew exactly where he was, after she hired a backhoe to dig a hole and bury his body.

If Ellen did lie to the courts, the whole document is void and could be set aside, and property belonging to Michael would no longer be hers.

An Albuquerque attorney who specializes in estate law, Gregory MacKenzie, says Snyder's 14-year-old daughter would be the only person who would have claim to the estate, unless Michael named someone else in his will.

If Ellen Snyder was listed in her late husband's will, she still has no claim to his property if she's convicted of murder. A person automatically forfeits any right to property if that person intentionally kills his or her spouse, even if that person is in the victim's will.

Eyewitness News 4 tried contacting Ellen Snyder's attorney, but she declined to comment.

Print Story