A man previously convicted of murder in the 2010 shooting death of Russell “Rusty” Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody daycare will have new attorneys for his retrial.
Hemy Neuman, whose conviction was overturned in June, told a judge during a status hearing Thursday he can no longer afford to retain Doug Peters and Bob Rubin, the two defense attorneys he hired after his arrest. He'll now be appointed public defenders.
“As much as I would like to continue to retain them,” Neuman told Judge Gregory Adams. “I can’t afford them.”
The public defender’s office will take about two weeks to appoint attorneys. A date for the re-trial has not yet been set.
“Unfortunately it was not feasible for his family to retain us for the second trial,” Rubin told Channel 2 Action News. “We continue to believe in the case, continue to believe in Hemy.”
Neuman was found guilty but mentally ill in Sneiderman’s killing. He was sentenced to life without parole.
But in June, Georgia’s Supreme Court overturned the ruling, citing violation of attorney-client privilege.
“This trial has never been about who killed Rusty Sneiderman,” Rubin said. “It’s always been about why Rusty Sneiderman was killed.”
Sneiderman's wife, Andrea, was also charged in connection with her husband's death. The Dunwoody widow was convicted of perjury and hindering the apprehension of a killer and served 10 months in prison. During Neuman's trial, it was alleged that he had a romantic relationship with Andrea Sneiderman that led to the murder. She has consistently denied any romantic involvement with Neuman.
“Hemy did not know right from wrong at the time of the act and I think that evidence will continue in the second trial and I think that will be a difficult choice for the jury at that time,” Rubin said.
