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Crime & Safety

Hemy Neuman Trial: Jurors View Dunwoody PD Interview

"I don't think I need to be a suspect."-- Hemy Neuman being questioned by Dunwoody Police.

Monday marked the first day that the jury in the Hemy Nueman trial got to hear from the defendant in the form of a videotaped interview between Neuman and the Dunwoody Police in January 2011.

The five hours of questioning were recorded about six weeks after Dunwoody businessman Russell “Rusty” Sneiderman was gunned down in front of the daycare center where he had just dropped off his 2-year-old son.

"I did not pull the trigger on the gun that killed Rusty Sneiderman," Neuman told the police more three hours into the interview. Police detectives prodded him, asking why they haven't heard Neuman flatly declare that he didn't do it.

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Detectives frequently pointed out how nervous Neuman appeared, and made remarks such as, "You're shaking like a leaf," and "Hemy, we're not going to leave this room until we find out what happened." At one point, a detective urges Neuman to "man up" and admit his role in the killing.

The questions mirrored much of what has been addressed in court. The biggest looming issue was the nature of Neuman’s relationship with the victim's wife, Andrea Sneiderman. Neuman was her boss at GE Energy in Atlanta.

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Both the prosecution and defense have focused on a possible love affair between Andrea Sneiderman and Neuman. She has denied an affair, but endured about six hours of questioning on the stand by both sides.

Neuman has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His lawyers argue that he suffered from delusions and thought the Sneiderman children were his own.

Andrea Sneiderman isn't charged in the case. Judge Gregory Adams banished her from the courtroom, and the courthouse, after complaints from both sides that she was interacting with witnesses within the presence of jurors, including confronting one witness in the hallway, declaring that they weren't friends any more. The judge had already ordered her not to have contact with witnesses in the case.

Today's courtroom was largely silent with all eyes focused on two large screens replaying the interview. In the tape, police confront Sneiderman over his rental of a silver 2011 Kia Sedona that matched the vehicle used by the killer.

Some of Rusty Sneiderman's family, including his father Donald Sneiderman, seemed to be holding back tears as the tape showed Neuman telling police that he didn’t know anything about the shooting.

Earlier Monday, former DeKalb Medical Examiner Dr. Steve Dutton described to the jury the four gunshot wounds Rusty Sneiderman received, including the first shot to his throat.

"The muzzle end of the barrel was right up against Mr. Sneiderman's skin," Dutton said. "The first shot entered under his jaw, and went through his neck. It cut the spinal cord in two and then [went] into his right shoulder."

He said any of the four shots could have killed Rusty Sneiderman.

The first order of the day tomorrow is expected to be playing the rest of the police interview with Neuman. Where it left off Monday, the police were all but telling him that they were about to arrest him for the killing, and asking directly if Andrea Sneiderman was involved.

Court is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

 

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