Hemy Neuman's motive at crux of murder trial

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hemy Neuman drove a rented silver minivan to Dunwoody Prep on Nov. 18, 2010, parked, pulled a hoodie over his head and waited for Russell “Rusty” Sneiderman to return from dropping off his 2-year-old son.

Probably, police said, Sneiderman never saw Neuman. Had he, he would’ve recognized the man who would kill him as his wife’s boss, someone he introduced as his “friend” in emails sent to potential business contacts just a few months earlier.

While what happened is not in dispute — Neuman has acknowledged firing four shots at close range — his motivation is expected to be hotly debated as his murder trial gets underway Monday. Interest in the case spreads far beyond Dunwoody’s affluent Jewish community, where both the victim and his killer were well-known.

Prosecutors are likely to argue the shooting occurred because of an extramarital affair between Neuman, an engineer, and the victim’s wife, Andrea Sneiderman, according to court documents released last fall. Neuman supervised Andrea Sneiderman at GE Energy.

“I expect this trial to be about their relationship and what or who may have driven [Neuman] to kill Rusty,” said attorney Esther Panitch, who represents Neuman’s estranged wife, Ariela. Panitch said her client, who helped Andrea Sneiderman get her job at GE, suspected the two were having an affair even before the shooting.

In Sunday’s newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at the mystery behind Hemy Neuman's motive and how the question will shape his trial. It’s a story you’ll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper’s iPad app. Subscribe today.