Jurors have reached a verdict in the Dunwoody day-care shooting trial of Hemy Neuman, DeKalb County spokesman Eric Burton said. Burton issued a one-sentence statement at 1:45 p.m. The decision is expected to be announced around 2:15 p.m.
Thursday morning, jurors asked to see reports from the defense's mental health experts but were denied by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams as deliberations resumed.
"The evidence portion is closed," Adams told the nine-woman, three-man jury.
On Wednesday, jurors had asked to see videos of interviews conducted with Neuman, accused in the shooting death of Rusty Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody preschool on Nov. 18, 2010.
The video they requested showed Neuman, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, discussing his experiences at an Israeli boarding school.
It is there, defense attorneys argued, that Neuman first encountered an apparition, the onset of his mental instability.
In the interview with the state's forensic psychiatrist, Neuman discussed feelings of abandonment and isolation when he arrived at the boarding school.
Neuman, on the tape, says that he got to the boarding school about midnight to find the gates locked. He ended up staying in a shack where, Neuman claims, he was visited by a demon that told him he was worthless.
Closing arguments concluded late Tuesday with both the defense and prosecution going after the victim's widow, Andrea Sneiderman, who both sides say played a role in her husband's death.
The prosecution contends she had advance knowledge of the shooting, and the defense said she manipulated Neuman into committing the crime.
Neuman was Andrea Sneiderman's supervisor at GE Energy. She has not been charged in connection with her husband's slaying and denies any involvement.
On Wednesday, the widow hired a new team of lawyers, including a former DeKalb assistant district attorney, Jennifer Little, and Douglas Chalmers Jr.
Little has "significant experience counseling individuals who, like Mrs. Sneiderman, are family members of the victims of violent crimes," according to a statement issued by the attorney.
Little said she would have no comment until after a verdict in the Neuman trial.
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