Yandere Freak is a TikTok cosplayer who is facing a manslaughter charge in Texas. The social media star’s real name is Mary Anne Oliver-Snow and they also go by “Snow” and “SnowtheSaltQueen.” Oliver-Snow is accused of fatally shooting a friend in Houston while drinking, according to Harris County court records obtained by Heavy.
The victim, Helen Rose Hastings, was shot in the head on January 17, 2021, at Oliver-Snow’s home, according to court records. Oliver-Snow and Hastings had been friends since high school and Hastings was staying with Oliver-Snow, Yandere Freak told police. Hastings died a day after the shooting.
The 23-year-old cosplayer made their Yandere Freak TikTok account, which has more than 1.6 million followers, private on September 28, 2021, after the manslaughter charge they are facing began to gain attention on social media. Oliver-Snow has not commented about the case and their appointed defense attorney, Charles Brodsky, did not immediately return a request from comment from Heavy. The charge against Yandere Freak had not been reported on in the media before September 2021, and the popular cosplayer had continued to post on TikTok and Instagram in the months after the deadly shooting.
Oliver-Snow has been free on bond since their probable cause arrest on the manslaughter charge on January 18, 2021. They were indicted by a Harris County grand jury on the second-degree felony manslaughter charge in April 2021 and remained free on bail pending trial. The second-degree felony manslaughter charge carries a potential prison sentence of 2 to 20 years, according to Texas state law. The indictment accuses Oliver-Snow of “recklessly” causing Hasting’s death by “pointing a handgun” at Hastings and “pulling the trigger.”
Oliver-Snow Drunkenly Pointed a Gun at Hastings & Pulled the Trigger When She Said ‘Ooooh Shoot Me,’ Thinking There Were No Bullets in the Gun
FacebookHelen Rose Hastings.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Harris County Deputy Margarita Nolan, a homicide investigator with the county sheriff’s office, Mary Anne Oliver-Snow, also known as Yandere Freak, Snow and SnowtheSaltQueen, shot Hastings while they were drinking and watching tv at their Houston home on January 17, 2021, about 1:30 a.m.
Hastings was taken to Houston Northwest Hospital, where they later died. Six witnesses were in the home at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint. Oliver-Snow gave investigators a statement and was detained for questioning after the shooting.
Oliver-Snow told police “they were all drinking” and they “got pretty drunk.” Oliver-Snow said the gun had been left in their home by an ex-boyfriend, who told them that he had taken all of the bullets out of the firearm when he moved out. Oliver-Snow said they had played with the gun before as a joke and didn’t know there was a bullet it in. They told investigators their ex-boyfriend had shown them how to take out the magazine so it would not shoot. According to the criminal complaint:
The defendant stated they had been passing the gun around for hours and had been playing around with it. The defendant said (they weren’t) paying attention hard enough and (they) might have been too drunk. The defendant said the complainant came up to (them) and was joking around telling the defendant, ‘Ooooh shoot me,’ as they were laughing the defendant said ‘Oh, OK’ and said it went off, saying (they were) in shock saying it was supposed to be empty. The defendant said (they) did not load it and does not know how it went off. The defendant told (their) friend to call 911 as (they) moved the gun away from the complainant. The defendant said the 911 operator told (them) to place the gun back in the case. The defendant believes everyone in the house had touched or held the gun.
The defendant stated the gun was mainly in (their) front pocket where (they were) keeping it. The defendant stated (they) pulled the trigger and stated it was (their) fault. Affiant asked defendant why (they) had the gun with (them). The defendant stated they were watching ‘Gotham’ and said (they were) drunk, laughing, messing around, saying, (they are) a cosplayer, stating they like characters and stuff and told (their) friends (they) had a gun like Penguin does. The defendant stated the gun had never been fired before.
According to the complaint, Yandere Freak told investigators they usually put the gun back in the case if they are drinking, but didn’t think about it because it was empty. It was out for about two or three hours before the shooting. They said they assumed the gun was empty and “didn’t see it as a danger anymore before the shot was fired.”
Deputies said Oliver-Snow told investigators they and their friends were in the living room and another friend came up and said, “Oh shoot me,” and Oliver-Snow pretended to do so. Then the victim also said, “Oh do me,” and Oliver-Snow turned to their right, placed the gun to the left side of Hastings’ head and pulled the trigger of the Glock handgun. Oliver-Snow said they saw Hastings fall to the ground.
Oliver-Snow told police they had been drinking vodka and coke since earlier in the day and was “hammered” and “had smoked some marijuana.”
According to police, Yandere Freak told investigators they did not remember putting the magazine in the gun but said they were “really, really drunk” and “could have done it.” They said they were putting the gun at themselves and at other friends and it was making a clicking noise before it went off.
The other friends who witnessed the shooting and aftermath told investigators they also did not think the gun was loaded and heard Hastings jokingly ask Oliver-Snow to shoot her. They said Oliver-Snow said it was an accident after the gun went off. One friend said their group is “wild, dumb and does jokes all the time.”
Oliver-Snow, Whose Next Court Date Is in October 2021, Was Released on $20,000 Bond After Their Arrest & Prosecutors Sought to Revoke the Bail in August 2021, Accusing Them of Violating the Conditions of Release
Mary Anne Oliver-Snow was released from custody on January 19, 2021, on $20,000 bond, after they were charged with second-degree manslaughter, according to court records. Oliver-Snow is being monitored electronically by GPS and has a curfew from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days per week. Oliver-Snow was required to submit to drug and alcohol testing, not use alcohol, marijuana or controlled substances unless prescribed by a doctor and is barred from using or possessing firearms, according to court records. They are also ordered to not have contact with Hastings’ family members, court records show.
According to court records, prosecutors sought to revoke Oliver-Snow’s bail on August 3, 2021, accusing them of violating the conditions of their release from custody. Oliver-Snow was accused in a bond conditions violation report of failing to report to pretrial services as directed, failing to comply with curfew requirements and failing to comply with the rules of the electronic monitoring program. Oliver-Snow was accused of four curfew violations in July 2021, of having a dead GPS battery on three occasions in July 2021 and of having four-plus hours with GPS having no cell service on seven occasions in July 2021. Oliver-Snow appeared in court but was allowed to remain free on bond until trial.
Oliver-Snow’s next court hearing is scheduled for October 21, 2021, before Judge Chris Morton in Harris County’s 230th Criminal District Court, according to online records viewed by Heavy. The hearing is scheduled to be an evidence exchange. A trial date has not been set for the case.
Helen Hastings Was a First-Year Student at Oberlin College
FacebookHelen Rose Hastings.
The victim, Helen Hastings, was a first-year student at Oberlin College in Ohio, according to the Oberlin Review. The student newspaper wrote, “Among (their) friends, Hastings was known for (their) laughter, enthusiasm, and compassion. Hastings was interested in helping treat misophonia, a condition that causes people to be distressed by particular sounds, and she intended to study neuroscience, psychology, and art.”
A friend, Zach Gerson, told the newspaper, “Helen had this really bubbly, really energetic personality and a good sense of humor.” Another friend, Noelle Lara, added, “I was grateful to have both empathy and excitement from (them). To top it all off, (they) did it while having the cutest llama socks you would find. (They) generally just had a great fashion sense. Thank you Helen for being a first friend. This won’t be the last time we celebrate you.”
Hastings was from Houston, Texas, according to their Facebook page. Hastings graduated from The Awty International School in Houston before attending Oberlin, they said on Facebook. The Oberlin Review added that Hastings was survived by their parents, Susan and Phillip, and four brothers. The article does not mention a cause of death. Hastings’ family has not commented publicly about the charges against Oliver-Snow.
READ NEXT: TikTok Star Dead in Car Crash