The parents of Rusty Sneiderman, the Dunwoody entrepreneur murdered outside a daycare in 2010, have petitioned a Fulton County judge to grant them visitation rights with their two grandchildren.
Their daughter-in-law, Andrea Sneiderman, has "limited and most recently eliminated contact between the grandparents and the minor children," reads the petition, filed Wednesday in Fulton County Superior Court by Don and Marilyn Sneiderman.
Andrea Sneiderman's former boss at GE Energy, Hemy Neuman, was convicted last Thursday of murdering her husband and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
After the trial, DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he has "strong beliefs about Mrs. Sneiderman's involvement" in her husband's slaying and is determining whether he has enough evidence to bring charges.
Andrea Sneiderman has denied she had any role in her husband's death. Her attorney has said she testified at the trial in order to help the prosecution.
If the woman is charged, the filing by Rusty Sneiderman's parents could be a precursor to a custody battle for Rusty and Andrea's two children -- Sophia, 6, and Ian, 3.
"Both grandparents and the family of [Rusty's brother] Steven Sneiderman are also ready, willing and able, should the court find it in the children's best interests, to accept primary custody of the children," the petition states.
They have also requested the court appoint a guardian to "investigate and make a recommendation as to what is in the children's best interest."
Don and Marilyn Sneiderman filed their petition in the Fulton courts because Andrea Sneiderman moved with her children to her parents' house in Roswell shortly after her husband was slain.
Through their attorney, Randy Kessler, the grandparents declined comment on the latest developments.
In a statement, Andrea Sneiderman's attorneys said their client is willing to schedule visits with her children, "just as she has done in the past."
"We believe very strongly that it is not in the best interests of the children for matters related to them to be discussed in the media," said the statement from lawyers Jennifer Little and Doug Chalmers. "Anyone who has their best interests at heart would recognize that this is a matter to be privately addressed within the family."
In an exclusive interview with the AJC conducted during the Neuman trial, the grandparents said their daughter-in-law has repeatedly kept them away from their grandchildren.
"I would like them to remember us," said Marilyn Sneiderman, who lives in Ohio. "I would like them to be proud of their dad."
They said they were allowed just one visit with the grandchildren during their recent stay in Atlanta, a claim bolstered by emails included in the court filing. On their last two weekends in town, they said, they asked Andrea Sniederman if they could take the children out for ice cream but she refused, citing scheduling conflicts.
Though they live 710 miles from Atlanta, the Sneidermans saw their grandchildren regularly via Skype, an Internet phone service. On the day Rusty was shot, the Sneidermans said they shared a long-distance conversation with their son and grandson.
"The morning Rusty was shot, we had breakfast with him and Ian, and they were so happy," Marilyn Sneiderman said. "Rusty was all excited. He was all dressed up for a big meeting -- he was starting a new company. He was going to California the next day."
In their filing, the Sneidermans seek immediate access and specified visitation rights with their grandchildren, and that a schedule be put into a place for telephone and webcam contact.
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