Day Four in the trial of Hemy Neuman, charged in the Nov. 18, 2010 death of Dunwoody businessman Rusty Sneiderman, began Friday morning in DeKalb Superior Court. Before the jury entered the room, Judge Gregory Adams, after meeting with attorneys, barred Andrea Sneiderman from the courtroom and courthouse after explaining that she had made improper contact with witnesses on Thursday and had made disruptive comments during the court session.
Prosecution: DeKalb DA Robert James and Chief Assistant DA Don Geary.
Defense: Attorneys Bob Rubin and Doug Peters
Judge: Gregory Adams
For background on the story, read here. For Thursday's minute-by-minute, read here. Follow the trial live here. Follow the trial on Twitter.
Here's ajc.com's minute-by-minute coverage from Thursday's court session:
4:37 p.m.: Court is adjourned.
4:29 p.m.: Judge Adams allows the jury to stand and stretch. He then announces that he is dismissing them for the weekend because they will have to view an upcoming video that may last more than five hours. The judge says 53 witnesses have been questioned so far since testimony began four days ago. Testimony resumes 9 a.m. Monday.
4:21 p.m.: Detective Thompson said he interviewed Andrea Sneiderman the day after the shooting and asked her questions about her family and its relationships. She told the investigation that he was "barking up the wrong tree." At one point in the conversation Thompson said Sneiderman offered that Neuman, her boss, was interested in her and had made an advancement toward her once, which she did not reciprocate. Sneiderman, however, told the investigator that she in no way believed that Neuman could have committed the crime.
4:04 p.m.: Detective Andrew Thompson of the Dunwoody Police Department is called to the stand. He was assigned to the Sneiderman case and said tapes from several security video cameras at Dunwoody Prep were obtained that showed the 2011 silver Kia minivan allegedly used in the attack.
3:54 p.m.: Harris testified that Neuman was very remorseful and sorrowful at a shiva held for Rusty Sneiderman at the victim's home. He said Neuman hugged Andrea Sneiderman for a long time and said he was sorry about what had happened. There was nothing else unusual about his demeanor, Harris testified.
3:45 p.m.: State calls Al Harris to the stand. He is employed as an audit program manager at GE Energy. Neuman hired Harris and was a direct supervisor. Harris said he had contact with Neuman on average once a day and sat close to his office and he only socialized during team events with other employees. He says Andrea Sneiderman was part of the team. Harris said Neuman told him he had a hard childhood and hard time at boarding school. Harris said Neuman never told him about any demons.
3:40 p.m.: Investigator William Presnell of the DeKalb DA's office is called to the stand. He was tasked with finding the Kia van that Neuman allegedly drove.
3:35 p.m.: Judge calls court back in session. Dr. Mark Waterman called to the stand. He is an emergency room physician at Atlanta Medical Center who attended to Rusty Sneiderman when he was brought in on Nov. 18. Waterman said efforts were made to resuscitate him but at 10:19 a.m. he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds to neck and torso. Andrea Sneiderman was "not very emotional". Her first request was to ask for a child psychologist to talk to children. Doctor said he didn't provide the psychologist.
11:58 a.m.: Judge orders break for lunch until 1:30.
11:56 a.m.: Alan Schachtely is recalled by prosecution, asked to confirm previous information.
11:45 a.m.: Prosecution questions Walter Pineida, who did an enhancement of the security video for Dunwoody Police. Enhanced video is shown in court.
11:40 a.m.: Jane Newman, executive director of Dunwoody Prep is sworn in as a witness. She says there are 48 security cameras at the school, both inside and outside. Video showing silver minivan leaving Dunwoody Prep is played in court. She describes the location where Rusty Sneiderman was shot.
11:35 a.m.: Jack Gay, a neighbor of the Sneidermans, is sworn in as a witness. He says he saw a silver minivan driving from the neighborhood the morning of the shooting.
11:30 a.m.: Alan Schachtely, a software engineer for GE Energy, is sworn in. He worked with Hemy Neuman and Andrea Sneiderman. He says on the morning of the shooting, he spoke by phone with Andrea Sneiderman, who asked him to tell Neuman that her husband had been shot and she was leaving GE to go to the hospital. Schachtely said Neuman never exhibited any unusual behavior during the time he knew him.
11:25 a.m.: Robert Rubin begins defense cross-examination of Farnam. Farnam says he went to lunch with Neuman; says Neuman never mentioned he was having an affair with Sneiderman and did not mention any marital problems.
11:20 a.m.: Michael Farnam, a quality manager for GE Energy, is sworn in. He says he attended a meeting with Hemy Neuman at 2:30 p.m. the day of the shooting. He describes it as a "typical meeting." During two-and-a-half years knowing Neuman he never saw anything to question his mental stability, never seemed mentally confused. He says Neuman's conduct was normal at the meeting the day of the shooting; says Neuman never told him he was having hallucinations. He also attended the shiva and said Neuman seemed normal.
11:15 a.m.: Judge Adams returns to courtroom, jury returns moments later.
11:05 a.m.: Judge Adams calls for 10-minute break.
11:02 a.m.: Copening says Neuman acted normally on the day of the shooting; she saw no reason to question his mental stability, saw nothing out of the ordinary. She says she saw him later at a Shiva and a Christmas party and saw nothing unusual about Neuman's behavior.
11:00 a.m.: Michelle Copening, who worked for Andrea Sneiderman at GE Energy, is sworn in. She accompanied Hemy Neuman when he entered Sneiderman's office the morning of the shooting. She says he told her Sneiderman's husband had been shot. She says he left with Andrea Sneiderman's laptop computer.
10:55 a.m.: Peter O'Rourke, payment systems manager for RaceTrac Petroleum, is now on the stand; says debit card that matches Hemy Neuman's bank records was used to buy gas at a RaceTrac station on Delk Road in Marietta at 6:51 a.m. on the day of the shooting.
10:50 a.m.: Judge Adams again asks jury to stand, explains there is coffee available for them when they come in.
10:48 a.m.: Gough explains that she conducted an investigation of "event logs" on Andrea Sneiderman's computer, showing when someone logged in and out using her password.
10:45 a.m.: Rubin is asking Gough to explain GE's expense policies and practices.
10:37 a.m.: Defense attorney Bob Rubin begins cross-examination of Gough.
10:35 a.m.: Judge Adams interrupts testimony and tells the jury to stand to ensure they "remain attentive."
10:32 a.m.: Gough says Andrea Sneiderman's work computer was used the day after the shooting.
10:25 a.m.: Travel and expense report showing Neuman and Andrea Sneiderman meal tab in Norfolk, Va., for $154.34 is admitted into evidence.
10:20 a.m.: Gough says Neuman accompanied Sneiderman on all the trips except one to Colorado.
10:15 a.m.: Kathleen Gough, an internal investigator for GE Energy, is sworn in as witness. Gough describes travel records for Andrea Sneiderman.
10:10 a.m.: Peters says Neuman went to Andrea Sneiderman's office to get her computer, which she had asked him to do.
10:09: Defense attorney Doug Peters begins cross-examination of Watson.
10:07 a.m.: Jury re-enters courtroom.
9:53 a.m.: Judge Adams calls 10-minute break.
9:50: Video played in court of Neuman obtaining visitor's pass at 4200 building of GE Energy at 12:14 p.m. Nov. 18.
9:47: Video of Neuman leaving the building is played in court. Video of him driving into the garage and leaving in the minivan is played.
9:45 a.m.: Watson says security video shows Neuman arriving at GE Energy early on Nov. 18 in a gray minivan. Video shows him leaving the building around 5:51 a.m.
9:40 a.m.: Watson says Neuman obtained a visitor's badge to access another building at GE -- the one where Andrea Sneiderman worked -- at 11:48 a.m. the day of the shooting. He went to the second floor, where Andrea Sneiderman's office was. He says Neuman obtained another visitor's card to access the 4200 GE building.
9:37: Watson says Neuman's card was used again to enter the GE building at 12:37 p.m. the day of the shooting.
9:30: Watson describes security at GE, including card access to many areas of the buildings and security video. He says records show Hemy Neuman entered the building at 5:37 a.m. on Nov. 18, the day of the killing, says Neuman normally arrived from 7:45 to 8 a.m.
9:27: Jeffrey Scott Watson, head of security at GE Energy is sworn in as a witness.
9:23: Harting, responding to Geary's questions, says she never saw Neuman acting irrational or like he was hallucinating. She says the week of the killing Neuman acted normally.
9:21: Carmen Harting, Hemy Neuman's secretary at GE Energy, is sworn in as a witness. She says Neuman and Andrea Sneiderman frequently arrived together for meetings and "had a lot of lunches together."
9:20: Judge Adams explains that a fire alarm that disrupted Thursday's session posed no danger to jurors, who were locked in the jury room.
9:15 a.m.: Jury enters courtroom.
9:10 a.m. Judge Adams orders Andrea Sneiderman barred from courtroom and courthouse and orders her not to have any contact with witnesses.
9:05 a.m.: Judge Adams says that after a witness testified on Thursday, she was hugged by Andrea Sneiderman. Adams warns that this is improper. Geary asks that Andrea Sneiderman be barred from the courthouse. He says she greeted the witness outside the courtroom and told her she was no longer her friend. She also entered a witness room against instructions, he says. Defense joins prosecution's request.
9:00 a.m.: Judge Adams enters courtroom, huddles with lawyers for both sides and with Seth Kirschenbaum, Andrea Sneiderman's attorney.
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