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Friend of Sneiderman felt threatened after testimony

DECATUR, Ga.,None — A woman who embraced the widow of a slain Dunwoody father after testifying in court was asked to describe the experience to the judge on Wednesday afternoon.

Shayna Citron, a friend of Rusty and Andrea Sneiderman was called back to the witness stand late in the day after Judge Gregory Adams had dismissed jurors.

Prosecutors said Rusty Sneiderman was shot to death by Hemy Neuman outside a day care in November 2010.

They also allege Andrea Sneiderman was having an affair with Neuman, who was also her supervisor.

Citron testified last week that Sneiderman knew her husband had been shot before she got to the hospital and that she thought Andrea Sneiderman was having an affair with Neuman.

Prosecutors said Andrea Sneiderman acted inappropriately after that testimony when she embraced Citron. Adams banned her from the courthouse the following morning.

On Wednesday, Neuman's lawyers asked Adams if Citron could testify again to tell jurors that she felt frightened and threatened by Sneiderman after she testified.

Citron said Sneiderman approached her immediately and she was surprised that she gave her a "long tight hug."

"It was almost as if she was telling me she was not angry with me," Citron said.

Citron then said Sneiderman took her outside the courtroom.

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"We were walking toward the doors and Don Geary approached and Andrea pointed to him and said, 'No. I'm going to talk to her now,' and she walked me out of the courtroom. She steered me over to the bench outside the courtroom," Citron explained.

Citron's lawyer told Channel 2's Jodie Fleischer that the hug and kiss in the courtroom was a show for the jury but the mood was much different outside the courtroom.

"She (Sneiderman) said, 'I'm not friends with her,' and essentially told her to watch her back," attorney Jay Abt said.

Citron did not tell the judge what Sneiderman said but expressed her fear.

"I became frightened the next day after she was banned from the courthouse because I was thinking back to what she said," Citron testified. "I called my attorney. I told him exactly what she said to me that was concerning and then when I hung up the phone I called my children's school to make sure my children were safe."

"Were you frightened for yourself and your children?" defense attorney Doug Peters asked.

"As a mother, the first thing you think about is your children," she answered.

Adams ruled that Citron cannot tell jurors they were deceived or that she felt threatened by Sneiderman.
Neuman's defense team immediately asked for a mistrial, but Adams denied the motion. Citron's testimony will remain on the record in case it is needed in an appeal.

Citron's attorney told Fleischer that Dunwoody police botched the case from the beginning.

"I think that it's unfortunate that Dunwoody police did not obtain text messages between Hemy Neuman and Rusty Sneiderman in time to find out what they were," Abt said.

Phone records showed Neuman texted Sneiderman while he shopped for a gun and disguise, the night before the shooting as well as the day of the shooting and the day after.

"My opinion is that Ms. Sneiderman is a venomous black widow. I'll be shocked if she doesn't go to prison," he said.