The estranged wife of Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell has won primary custody of the couple’s three children, according to a judge’s order last week that was made public in court documents Monday.

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       Laurie Snell, who has accused Parnell of domestic abuse, was deemed “the more credible witness” who “can truthfully give regular status reports to Sean Parnell and, as may be needed, to the court,” Senior Judge James Arner said in his decision.

       Snell will have primary physical and sole legal custody of their children, with the sole right to make major decisions on behalf of the children, Arner ordered. Parnell will have partial physical custody of the children on three weekends each month. The two separated in 2018, according to court documents.

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       Snell has accused Parnell of multiple forms of abuse before their separation, including choking her and hitting one of their children so hard he left a “full handprint” mark on the child’s back. She testified that Parnell has thrown chairs across the room toward her; pinned her down and screamed profanities at her; called her crazy in front of the children; and once dropped her off on Interstate 79 when she was six months pregnant and told her to get an abortion.

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       Parnell has denied her allegations as “complete fabrications.” In a court hearing earlier this month, he countered with claims under oath that she physically abused him, although he declined to offer specifics.

       In his decision, Arner wrote that he found Snell’s testimony credible and that “Parnell did commit some acts of abuse in the past.” He said he found Parnell’s testimony “less credible,” citing his demeanor and dress in the courtroom and his tendency to focus on his attorneys and the news media while testifying, rather than looking at the judge.

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       Parnell “simply denied that all of incidents ever happened, except he did describe his view of the incident when his younger son was hit by a closet door,” Arner wrote. “He was somewhat evasive. When weighing his position against Laurie Snell’s statements of detailed facts about many incidents, Sean Parnell’s position is less believable.”

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       Arner said he also considered testimony under oath from all three children, as well as mental and physical assessments of the children and the parents, which would remain confidential.

       Parnell’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. In May, Parnell launched his campaign for an open Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), who is retiring at the end of his term next year.

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       Parnell, a former U.S. Army Ranger, ran for Congress in 2020 in the Pittsburgh area, losing by about two percentage points.

       Former president Donald Trump endorsed Parnell in September while also continuing to assert his baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Trump claimed that Parnell had been “robbed in his congressional run in the Crime of the Century — the 2020 President Election Scam.” There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the results of the 2020 presidential election.

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       “Sean bravely fought for our Country as a Captain in the U.S. Army and was awarded two Bronze Stars (one for valor!) and the Purple Heart,” Trump stated then. “Unlike our current administration, he never left anyone behind … Sean Parnell will always put America First. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

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       However, other key members of the GOP establishment have not fully thrown their support behind Parnell. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, declined to say whether Parnell was the right candidate for the job when asked about him and the abuse allegations earlier this month.

       In the custody ruling, the judge said he took into consideration Parnell’s Senate run — which would require frequent travel as he campaigns — and wrote that Parnell “expects to win the election and to reside parts of the year in Washington, D.C.” Snell, meanwhile, has maintained her residence in the area where the children are already attending school.

       Michael Scherer and Alice Crites contributed to this report.

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