Accused killer Hemy Neuman’s wife may soon be homeless.
The lawyer for Neuman’s estranged spouse said her client hasn’t been able to pay the mortgage on the couple’s $500,000 east Cobb home for several months, adding that foreclosure is imminent. The Neumans have three children -- two are attending college, while the youngest is set to graduate from high school later this month.
Dunwoody attorney Esther Panitch, who represents Ariela Neuman in a suit seeking legal separation from her husband of 22 years, said the children are being used by Hemy Neuman’s defense team “to bolster their client's public image."
Neuman, 48, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he shot and killed entrepreneur Rusty Sneiderman, 36, last November in the parking lot of a Dunwoody day care facility. A DeKalb County judge on Thursday set an Oct. 17 trial date, with motions to be heard sometime in August.
Neuman’s attorney Doug Peters was mum regarding specifics of the case but reiterated his client is “an exemplary father,” one who “puts his children foremost in everything he does in his life.”
Panitch disputed that characterization, saying Neuman has not given his wife, a teacher’s assistant, access to funds she needs just to cover the couple’s mounting bills.
"Mr. Neuman was the primary breadwinner in the home. ... He has access to funds which he has not given his wife access to,” Panitch said.
Joseph Winter, representing Neuman in the separation suit, would not comment except to say “it is totally inappropriate to discuss these matters in public and only adds to everyone’s pain.”
Panitch previously revealed her client believes Hemy Neuman was having an affair with Sneiderman's widow. Andrea Sneiderman has not addressed those claims, saying only that she considered Neuman, her former supervisor at GE Energy, "a friend of our family."
In other developments Thursday, defense attorneys hinted that they will file a motion to seal all evidence turned over in discovery, saying the public's right to know "does not override Mr. Neuman's right to a fair trial."
DeKalb District Attorney Robert James indicated no objection.
"I don't see that I have a dog in that fight," James told reporters.
Dunwoody police arrested Neuman in January after investigators discovered his name on a rental agreement for a silver Kia Sedona that matched the description of a car seen speeding away from Dunwoody Prep after Sneiderman's shooting. Neuman is being held without bond in the DeKalb County jail.
About the Author
