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Andrea Sneiderman expected to be released on $500K bond

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Andrea Sneiderman remains in jail after a DeKalb County judge granted her a $500,000 bond Tuesday.

Her parents were seen at the DeKalb County Jail late Wednesday morning, and Sneiderman could be released at any time.

Sneiderman was arrested Aug. 2 after being indicted on murder charges. Her former boss, Hemy Neuman, was convicted earlier this year of shooting and killing Andrea's husband, Rusty Sneiderman, outside a Dunwoody day care in November 2010.

As part of Judge Gregory Adam's ruling, Sneiderman must pay at least $250,000 in cash to be released on bond. The judge also ordered, if she made bond, Sneiderman would have to live with her parents under house arrest, having to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet.

She will only be allowed to leave for doctors appointments and to see her attorneys.

The judge also ruled Sneiderman had to surrender her passport along with her children's passports.

If Sneiderman makes bond, Adams said she could not speak to any potential witnesses.

Channel 2 Action News reporters have determined that Sneiderman does have the ability to pay the $250,000 in cash, based on financial information released during the Neuman trail.

A representative for the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said he doesn't know how long the bond process will take. He said it depends on a number of factors, including how many inmates are before Sneiderman, and how quickly the bonding company works. Channel 2 Action News learned late Tuesday night, Judge Adams did not get the paperwork in on time, making the earliest Sneiderman could be released was Wednesday morning.


Fear of witness tampering


That issue of witness tampering made up the main focus of the arguments in Tuesday's bond hearing, focusing on an exchange that happened in March during the trial for Hemy Neuman, who was convicted of fatally shooting Andrea's husband, Rusty.

Prosecutors' only witness, attorney Jay Abt, told the judge his client Shayna Citron was threatened by her former close friend Andrea Sneiderman during the Neuman trial.

"I perceived it to be very threatening," Abt said on the stand Tuesday.

Cameras were rolling as Andrea stood up and hugged and kissed Citron when she left the stand during the March trial. The pair walked into the hallway and had a conversation

"It was like watching Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She was pleasant and affable in the courtroom, giving my client a hug to show her loyalty and friendship. They got outside the courtroom, not only did she tell off my client but made an ominous comment that we perceived to be a threat," Abt said.

Prosecutors argued that was witness tampering, allowable grounds for denying bond. But a friend of Andrea Sneiderman's characterized it differently.

"I heard Andrea say to Shayna, 'I need people around me who trust me and believe in me, and you don't believe me, you don't believe in me, so we can't be friends.' Her voice was very soft. It was very kind. It was, I would say, very sad, but her whole demeanor was very loving and kind," said Joanne Powers, a friend of Andrea.

That conversation ultimately caused the same judge to remove Andrea Sneiderman from the Neuman trial, even as the victim's widow. Rusty Sneiderman was shot and killed after dropping off his son at the Dunwoody Prep Daycare in 2010.

Only Channel 2 Action News was there as officers arrested Andrea five months later on charges, including murder, insurance fraud, perjury and false statements.

Defense attorneys called 10 witnesses who said Andrea Sneiderman was not a flight risk, had close ties to her family and community, and was not a danger of anything, including witness tampering.

"She was aware you had been subpoenaed by both sides," defense attorneys asked Tammi Parker, Andrea Sneiderman's friend.

"Yes," Parker answered.

"Did she ever try to influence your testimony, one way or the other as to what you should say, if you were called to testify?" defense attorneys asked.

"No, not at all," parker said.

The DeKalb County district attorney said that although Sneiderman did not pull the trigger, she can still be charged with murder.

Hemy Neuman was Andrea Sneiderman's supervisor at GE Energy, and the pair frequently traveled together. At Neuman's trial, both prosecutors and defense attorneys alleged an affair, however Sneiderman emphatically denied it.

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Friends speak out in support of Andrea Sneiderman

Tuesday's bond hearing was the first time any of Andrea Sneiderman's close friends and supporters talked about their belief in her innocence.

The very first witness in the hearing was her father, whose voice quivered several times as he told the judge how close Sneiderman is with her parents and her children, and that she would not flee or commit any crimes.

"I think she was looking forward to fighting, looking forward to clearing her name. I think she was trying to keep quiet because it was in the best interest of Sophie and Ian, and now I think she wants to fight this," friend Jeffrey Moss told the court.

Moss told the judge he supports Sneiderman, even though she's charged with helping to murder her husband, Rusty, who was a friend since college. Ten defense witnesses testified about her devotion to her family, the community and above all her children.

"(She is) the best mother ever. Very loving, caring, very calm. Sometimes I'm really amazed with her patience," friend Joanne Power said.

Sneiderman will be on house arrest and will have to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, but that is an improvement over the three weeks she's spent in jail since her arrest.

Her friend, Elizabeth Stansbury, described the day deputies arrived to take Sneiderman into custody.

"She did not even move. She just kind of looked up, and Herb said the sheriff is here. And she said 'you've got to be kidding me," Stansbury said.

One of the bond conditions prosecutors asked for and the judge granted, was that Sneiderman not be allowed to have any contact with witnesses in the case.

The only exceptions to that ruling right now are for her family members and her rabbi.

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