DECATUR, Ga. – On the eve of trial, prosecutors on Friday dropped murder charges against a woman they accused of conspiring to have her husband gunned down outside a suburban Atlanta preschool.
DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James told Judge Gregory Adams that, after reviewing evidence that includes records recently provided by the defense, he is no longer sure that Andrea Sneiderman is guilty of orchestrating the Nov. 18, 2010, slaying of 36-year-old Russell “Rusty” Sneiderman.
James made the declaration during a sweeping pre-trial hearing ahead of Monday’s scheduled jury selection. Sneiderman still faces lesser charges that include lying to police and hindering an investigation.
Sneiderman, of Decatur, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, including the now-dropped counts of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.
The case, which has drawn widespread public interest, has always hinged on prosecutors proving that Sneiderman conspired with her former boss and alleged extramarital lover, Hemy Neuman. A DeKalb County jury last March determined that Neuman fired the shots that killed Russell Sneiderman, finding him guilty but mentally ill. Neuman is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.