In the sentencing phase of the trial, Steve Sneiderman spoke for the victim's family. All capitalizing and other emphasis come directly from his printed statement:
Your Honor:
I am Steven Sneiderman, Rusty Sneiderman's brother. I am here today to speak on behalf of my parents, Marilyn and Donald Sneiderman, my wife Lisa, my daughter Samantha and, especially, Rusty's children Sophia and Ian.
We appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today and share with the Court the impact this crime has had on our family.
During our investigation and the trial, my mother has repeatedly asked me, "When is this about Rusty?" Unfortunately, I have been forced to explain to her this trial was really not about him. As a lawyer, I understand why that is so, but now it is important for you to know a little more about Rusty and why his murder and the subsequent loss of him from our lives is so devastating. There have been so many lies told to this court about Rusty, even to the extent of the defense shamefully equating my brother's life with that of this killer. So let's set the record straight:
*Rusty was a good provider -- Rusty achieved great success at every level of his education, from BHS to IU to HBS. His focus on achievement was to provide the very best for his family, which he did every day of his life. Attempts to characterize him as not providing properly for his family in this case are extremely hurtful and false. He had limitless potential which now can never be realized, because of that man.
*Rusty was giving to others -- I have been struck over the last 15 months by how many people have approached me to tell me how Rusty had gone out of his way to help them with whatever challenge they were facing. Rusty had a knack of quickly getting to know someone, identifying a need and figuring out how he could help them. This is evident in his community involvement and the impact it had on people close to him, such as the Autism Society. Now, not only our family, but also the entire community loses that positive energy, because of that man.
*BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, Rusty was loving -- Parties desperate to excuse their own misconduct have attempted to smear my brother's name and reputation throughout these proceedings, but these facts hold fast:
**He was a devoted son -- always finding ways to connect with his parents despite the distance, speaking to them almost every day over Skype with the kids, even just minutes before he was senselessly murdered.
**He was a wonderful brother -- always wondering what he could do to help me, Lisa and Sam.
**He was a great father -- his smile was never bigger than when he was down on the floor, playing with the kids. Sophia and Ian adored their father and they were the light of his life. Any suggestion otherwise is patently offensive.
All of that love, silenced forever, because of that man.
Compare Rusty to his man:
*That man left his family financially ruined while he vacationed with his lover (on his company expense account)
*That man abandoned his family in order to destroy another one, with total disregard for his actions on either one.
*That man subjected all of us to this pathetic side show instead of accepting responsibility for actions, even after ADMITTING he shot and killed Rusty.
The question is WHY? Why did Rusty have to die to satisfy his desires?
Was it just lust? Did he just have to have her and decided the rules of civilized society didn't apply to him?
Was it greed? Did he think he could just step in to his shoes and take what was Rusty's?
Was it envy? Did he look at his own failures and shortcomings and simply could not tolerate what he saw in the mirror?
It doesn't matter -- any reason he and his lawyers could conjure up is absolutely ludicrous. There was no provocation of any kind. HE HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THIS! HE HAD NO RIGHT TO ANYTHING MY BROTHER HAD BUILT! HE HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE RUSTY FROM US, ESPECIALLY SOPHIA AND IAN!
Success is measured not by material things, but by the legacy of a man's acts and deeds. When he dies, who will stand up and say his life had any merit? His children? His wife? His lover. Not a soul will stand up on his behalf and vouch for his merit in this lifetime. His obituary is already written. It reads, "Hemy Neuman -- convicted murderer." Period.
Your honor, our lives have been shattered and there is nothing that this Court can do that could ever make us whole again. Every single day of our lives there will be a hole in our hearts and in our lives where Rusty should be. We all still reach for the phone to call him. We still expect to see him, Sophia and Ian on Skype, especially on Sundays when we visit with my parents. Today, the pain of that void is almost unbearable. We hope in time it might diminish some, but it will never go away completely. Instead, we look to this Court to provide us with some small measure of comfort in knowing that this man, lawfully convicted of killing Rusty Sneiderman, will never walk among us again. We need to know that he will be confined to prison for the remainder of his days, forced to confront the hurt and devastation he has caused to so many. We ask you to show him the same mercy he showed Rusty and punish him in the only appropriate manner – LIFE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.
Thank you.
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