Andrea Sneiderman, whose husband was gunned down outside their son's Dunwoody preschool last November, said Tuesday she was "shocked" when she learned her former boss had been charged in the killing.
In her first comments about the case, Sneiderman said in a press release she thought of Hemy Neuman, indicted Tuesday by a DeKalb grand jury, as a "friend of our family. I have been assured by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office that Mr. Neuman is Rusty's killer."
Meanwhile, Neuman's attorneys said they were "disappointed" prosecutors canceled Tuesday's scheduled probable cause hearing.
Instead DeKalb District Attorney Robert James announced that a grand jury had returned a two-count indictment against the former GE Energy supervisor for the November slaying of Rusty Sneiderman. The indictment precludes the need for a probable cause hearing.
"We were anxious to have an opportunity to have an individual judge evaluate the presentation of the case," said Doug Peters, who's representing Neuman along with Emory law professor Robert Rubin. "Unfortunately ... that is not going to be the case."
Neuman's attorneys said they had been gearing their defense toward Tuesday's hearing, where prosecutors were expected to introduce a motive in the case against the father of three with no prior criminal record.
But familiar questions linger.
"We don't know what the district attorney knows," Rubin said.
James deflected reporters' questions at a news conference following the grand jury's ruling, saying he "would not try the case in the media." He said the investigation was ongoing but wouldn't speculate as to whether more arrests may be forthcoming.
As for the motive, James said he was not prepared to discuss any evidence collected by investigators. Has the state recovered the murder weapon? James wouldn't answer.
Arraignment is expected within the next month or two, the district attorney said. Meanwhile, Neuman's lawyers said they will pursue a bond hearing for their client, who was incarcerated a little more than a month ago and remains at the DeKalb jail.
"He is holding up," Rubin said. "He's obviously distraught for his family and the Sneiderman family."
Esther Panitch, an attorney representing Hemy Neuman’s estranged wife, Ariela, told the AJC that the Neumans separated in early October, before the shooting, because of a "private matter." Panitch, of the Panitch Law Group, said the couple has been married for 22 years.
Neuman plans on entering a not guilty plea as soon as he has the opportunity, Peters said.
"We believe there is someone else the police should be looking for," Rubin said.
The extent of the relationship between Neuman, who graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in aeronautical engineering, and Andrea Sneiderman has not been disclosed, though a company spokesman said they worked together often.
Her husband knew his alleged killer, police said.
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