An expert witness for the defense in the Hemy Neuman trial testified that the defendant had an obsession with the widow of his victim, Rusty Sneiderman.
The defense began presenting its case on Feb. 29, trying to prove their client was not guilty by reason of insanity. Neuman acknowledges that he shot Rusty Sneiderman in front of a Dunwoody daycare center on Nov. 18, 2010, but was mentally incapable of telling right from wrong at the time.
Forensic psychiatrist Julie Rand Dorney, a witness for the defense, said she and her associate interviewed Neuman to determine his mental state. She said when the topic of Andrea Sneiderman came up, “he became obsessive and would ruminate, have the same thoughts over and over again.”
“We didn’t know how much was psychotic, versus real, versus fantasy,” Dorney said.
The defense also called Peter Thomas, a psychologist that Dorney asked to perform psychological testing on Neuman.
Though Thomas emphasized that Neuman’s test results were not enough to make a diagnosis, they did point to some mental issues.
“I told (Dorney) I’ve got to talk to him some more because quite frankly, he’s psychotic,” Thomas said.
Neuman’s relationship with Sneiderman’s widow, Andrea, has been a central focus of the trial. Neuman was her boss at GE Energy. Attorneys for both sides have attempted to prove she had a relationship with Neuman, which she has denied. She is not facing charges.
Thomas said Neuman didn’t know at times if he had actually had a romantic relationship with Andrea Sneiderman.
“At that point I wasn’t sure if he knew what was real and what wasn’t,” Thomas said.
On Feb. 24, Andrea Sneiderman was barred from the courtroom for disruptive behavior, which included hugging a witness.
That witness, her friend Shayna Citron, testified before the judge Feb. 29 about her interaction with Sneiderman outside the courtroom on Feb. 24.
Earlier in the day, the defense had asked that the interaction, which Neuman’s attorney described as “a veiled threat” be included in the official transcript. Adams ruled in favor of the prosecution, which called the move “an attempt to let the sideshow take over the circus.”
