Day 13 in the trial of Hemy Neuman, charged in the Nov. 18, 2010 death of Dunwoody businessman Rusty Sneiderman, began Monday in DeKalb Superior Court.
Dr. William Brickhouse, director of mental health at the DeKalb County Jail, is back on the stand for the prosecution to be cross-examined by Neuman's defense team.
Prosecution: DeKalb DA Robert James and Chief Assistant DA Don Geary.
Defense: Attorneys Bob Rubin and Doug Peters
Judge: Gregory Adams
11:35 p.m.: Judge Adams proceeds to do an informal 'charge conference' with lawyers in the case.
11:30 a.m.: Judge releases jury until 9 a.m. Tuesday at which time they will hear closing arguments from the state and the defense. He tells jury to get plenty of rest so that they can give lawyers their undivided attention.
11:20 a.m.: Geary says the state has no rebuttal of Dr. Marks' testimony. Marks is released from witness stand. State and defense rested their case. Judge announces that evidence portion of trial is closed and that closing arguments will be next.
11:12 a.m.: Adams calls for 10-minute break.
11:10 a.m.: Marks says she took into account Neuman's intelligence when she performed the test to determine possible malingering. She says his intelligence level does not put the test's results in question.
11:03 a.m.: Marks says the fact that Brickhouse didn't see evidence of bipolar disorder and delusions at the jail is not inconsistent with her diagnosis because symptoms can disappear at times. She says Neuman's talking of suicide and collecting razor blades "is consistent with bipolar disorder." Marks says she saw no evidence that Brickhouse conducted a forensic evaluation or asked about Neuman's relationship with Andrea Sneiderman.
11:00 a.m.: Marks says evidence of Neuman's marriage counseling sessions supports Neuman having bipolar disorder.
10:55 a.m.: Neuman talks about being the "father" of the Sneidermen children and is asked if he is their biological father: "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know .... I feel like these are my children, I feel like I need to be there for them, I need to raise them and I need to protect them, but I don't know." Marks said Neuman's answers do not appear to be scripted and are consistent with the statements he made to her. Marks said she was paid an hourly rate with a cap of $5,000 for her work.
10:50 a.m.: More of the tape is played. Neuman talks about the rape of his sister, and Marks says it's consistent with what he told her.
10:45 a.m.: More of the video of Neuman's interview with Crawford is played. Neuman describes how he was left alone at the Israeli school on the eve of Rosh Hashana and he was taken home by a school nurse. Rubin asks about the "rocking behavior" shown by Neuman in the tape and Marks says that's consistent with what she saw in her interview with Neuman.
10:40 a.m.: An emotional Neuman, on the tape, says "I was terrified" when he first arrived in Israel. Marks says the emotion he showed on the tape is consistent with how he described the events to her.
10:32 a.m.: The video montage of Neuman's interview with Crawford is played. Neuman is discussing the isolation he felt when he was sent to boarding school in Israel.
10:30 a.m.: Marks says Neuman's statements about his life and his relationship with Andrea Sneiderman were consistent with what he told Crawford, including descriptions of the angel and demon and that he said he acted to protect the Sneiderman children.
10:28 a.m.: Adams upholds prosecution's objection to showing a montage of Crawford's interview with Neuman. Rubin again seeks to have the montage played and presented as evidence. The prosecution doesn't object this time.
10:20 a.m.: Defense attorney Rubin asks Marks if she was provided a copy of Crawford's report and a DVD of her interview with Neuman. She says she was. She says she reviewed Crawford's report prior to her testimony and "took her report into account ... we had different opinions."
10:17 a.m.: Defense calls Dr. Tracey Marks, the psychiatrist who previously testified Neuman was legally insane.
10:15 a.m.: Hughes says questions on the practice of medicine in Georgia are to be submitted in writing. Hughes says she does not know Dr. Crawford and that she is not aware of any calls from Dr. Crawford on whether she could perform a forensic evaluation in Georgia or whether that would be considered the practice of medicine.
10:14 a.m.: Defense calls LaSharn Hughes, executive director of the Georgia Composit medical board, which regulates the practice of medicine in the state.
10:12 a.m.: Adams informs jurors that one of them was found to be reading a book, "The Best Lawyers in America," and reminds jurors they cannot do any research and tells them to surrender any other books they have.
10:10 a.m.: Adams rules the witness can testify.
9:55 a.m.: Defense and prosecution are arguing whether a witness can testify to impugn the testimony of prosecution expert Dr. Pamela Crawford.
9:40 a.m.: The state rests its rebuttal. Adams calls 10-minute break.
9:38 a.m.: Brickhouse tells Geary he did not see any evidence that Neuman was suicidal. Peters counters by noting that Neuman was collecting razor blades. Brickhouse confirms.
9:33 a.m.: Brickhouse confirms he discussed suicide with Neuman on two occasions. "I introduced the subject ... of whether he was suicidal or not, and he said no, he wasn't." Brickhouse says on a third occasion Neuman mentioned a concern about feeling suicidal. Brickhouse says he had Neuman transferred to an area where he could be observed, not because he was concerned, but because "I had an ethical responsibility."
9:30: a.m.: Geary asks, "If someone is bipolar and they have a manic event and they are in a system where they can be observed ... can that person just turn it off like that and make it go away?" Brickhouse: "Absent medical treatment, no."
9:27 a.m.: Brickhouse says there was no behavior by Neuman to indicate he was bipolar. "He read, he did puzzles ... he engaged in conversations ... people who are bipolar have one-way conversations ... he was very engaging. ... I just didn't see it [bipolar behavior]."
9:25 a.m.: Peters concludes questioning. Geary now begins questioning. Brickhouse says people with bipolar disorder can appear normal, but "if you're bipolar, it's coming out" at some point. Geary asks, "Is it your believe that in your contact with the defendant during 14 months in jail, is the defendant bipolar?" and Brickhouse says "no ... not at all."
9:23 a.m.: Peters asks if the DA or the prosecution's expert witness asked him for help in performing psychological tests on Neuman. Brickhouse says they did not. Brickhouse says he cannot say whether Neuman was sane at the time of the crime.
9:17 a.m.: Peters asks if all test results -- done independently of one another -- show that Neuman was not malingering and asks if that would change Brickhouse's opinion that Neuman was sane. Brickhouse says that none of the tests can determine what Neuman was thinking at the time of the shooting.
9:10 a.m.: Brickhouse confirms that his opinions about Neuman's sanity only apply to the time in which he was at the jail, not, as Peters noted, at the time of the shooting. Peters asks about psychological tests conducted by Dr. Peter Thomas and Andriana Flores. Brickhouse says he is familiar with the tests, says such tests are not conducted at the jail. Peters says SIRS test showed "lack of malingering" by Neuman, but Brickhouse says the more sophisticated a person is, the harder it is to determine if he is faking mental illness.
9:00 a.m.: Judge Adams enters, calls for jury. Dr. William Brickhouse returns to the stand. Defense attorney Doug Peters reviews the timeline of interviews Brickhouse conducted with Neuman.
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