DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Andrea Sneiderman pleaded for mercy during her sentencing hearing.
She said through tears at Tuesday morning's hearing that she wanted leniency for the sake of her children.
Earlier, friends and relatives gave their impressions of Andrea Sneiderman, whose former boss was convicted of fatally shooting her husband outside a suburban Atlanta preschool.
She was to be sentenced for lying to authorities later Tuesday. Jurors on Monday found her guilty of nine counts, including making false statements to investigators and perjury.
Sneiderman's husband, Rusty Sneiderman, was shot in November 2010. Her former boss Hemy Neuman was convicted in the killing in March 2012, but found mentally ill.
Prosecutors on Tuesday requested that she serve 20 years in prison. The judge was expected to announce her sentence later Tuesday.
Prosecutors accused Sneiderman of lying to police investigating her husband's death and lying under oath during Neuman's trial. The 13-count indictment included charges of making false statements, hindering an investigation and perjury.
Jurors got the case after closing arguments Thursday and deliberated all day Friday before leaving without a verdict. They returned for additional deliberations Monday and delivered the verdict after more than three hours.
Sneiderman was found guilty of hindering the apprehension of a criminal, concealment of material facts, three counts of giving false statements and four counts of perjury. She was found not guilty of three counts of perjury and one count of giving a false statement.
Prosecutors maintained that Andrea Sneiderman was having a romantic relationship with Neuman and that she repeatedly lied about the relationship, which they said hindered the investigation into her husband's death. Sneiderman and her defense team repeatedly denied that there was a romantic relationship and said that police bungled the investigation by not focusing on Neuman even after she mentioned him to them.
Sneiderman's defense has said prosecutors had a weak case, but were desperate to convict her of something.
