Clark Rockefeller
Encyclopedia
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (born February 21, 1961) is a German
man who moved to the United States
as a teenager to study, and thereafter assumed many aliases
. Using the false name Clark Rockefeller, he married a Harvard Business School
graduate student named Sandra Boss. The couple had homes in Boston
and New Hampshire
, and lived a prosperous lifestyle solely on Boss's high income as a business consultant. Boss eventually determined her husband had lied to her extensively, and sought a divorce
. After their estrangement, Gerhartsreiter kidnapped their daughter, Reigh Storrow Mills Boss, in July 2008 and was arrested six days later. Investigations determined that Gerhartsreiter had wildly embellished his background to give the impression that he was born into great wealth, as a member of the Rockefeller family
. He was later convicted and imprisoned on the kidnapping charge, which is presently under appeal. A book about Gerhartsreiter, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, was published in 2011 by journalist Mark Seal
.
In March 2011, Gerhartsreiter was charged with a 1985 murder
in Los Angeles County, California
, where he had lived at that time.
as a West German
foreign exchange student
in 1979. Although his family stated that Christian Gerhartsreiter was born on February 21, 1961, he maintains that he was born on February 29, 1960. Gerhartsreiter also told Boston
police that his mother is Ann Carter
, an American child actress of the 1940s, which Carter has denied.
, allegedly so he could obtain his green card. Duhnke filed for divorce in 1992 and, according to the divorce papers, claimed that Gerhartsreiter left her the day after the wedding. In 2007, Gerhartsreiter lost custody of his daughter, Reigh, by Sandra Boss, whom he had married in a Quaker ceremony that had no legal status. The child was born as Reigh Storrow Mills Rockefeller, and was nicknamed 'Snooks' (after the character in The Baby Snooks Show
radio program), but her mother had the child's surname changed after her reported divorce from Gerhartsreiter, in part because he refused to provide proof of his identity. During the case, Boss, a high-earning McKinsey senior executive who had graduated from Stanford University
and Harvard Business School
, accused him of lying about being a member of the Rockefeller family
. Members of the Rockefeller family have also denied any relation to the man. Boss later testified in June 2009 at his trial that Gerhartsreiter agreed to give her custody of their daughter Reigh following the divorce. She testified that he also agreed to supervised visits three times a year with Reigh in return for an $800,000 settlement, two cars, her engagement ring, and a dress that he had given her. Boss moved with Reigh to London
following the divorce.
Boss testified that Gerhartsreiter was charming and that she believed the stories he told her at the beginning of their relationship. Later, however, he became emotionally abusive and there was a "lot of anger and yelling" in their household. Although Boss earned all of the family income, she testified that Gerhartsreiter had complete control of the family's finances and other aspects of her day-to-day life.
She hired a private investigator in 2006 and discovered that he was not who he claimed to be, though she did not learn his real name at that time. She said he was unpleasant to live with, but did not think he was delusional. Prior to the divorce, Gerhartsreiter had lived with Boss and their child in Cornish, New Hampshire
, where he used his supposed family ties to bolster his reputation, telling friends and neighbors that he was a wealthy Yale
graduate who owned a business in Canada
. Gerhartsreiter, under the name Clark Rockefeller, was also a member of Boston's ultra-exclusive Algonquin Club
, where he spent much of his time making additional connections and infiltrating high society. He resigned as one of the Club's Directors in April 2008.
. Boston police searched the area of the incident without success, and Massachusetts State Police
issued an Amber Alert
just before 5 p.m. Later that night police issued a warrant for Gerhartsreiter's arrest. He was charged with custodial kidnapping
, assault
and battery
, and assault with a deadly weapon — the sport utility vehicle.
Boston police said the father, daughter, and a social worker were in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood at the intersection of Marlborough and Arlington streets, traveling on foot from the Four Seasons Hotel Boston to the Boston Common
when the sport utility vehicle drove up. Gerhartsreiter allegedly grabbed Reigh, pushed the social worker aside, and jumped into the vehicle, which then sped off. The social worker, who police said works for an independent agency, grabbed onto the vehicle and was dragged a short distance before letting go. He was treated for minor injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital
and released.
Police searched the immediate area and Logan International Airport
that day. The same day police received calls reporting sightings of Reigh in Dedham
, Hyde Park, and even New York's Grand Central Station. Police reported they followed up on all leads, but had nothing solid by the end of the day.
and battery
after a week-long search. He had recently purchased an apartment there for about $450,000 under the name Charles "Chip" Smith. With the help of the owner of a local marina
where Gerhartsreiter had apparently kept a catamaran
for the past nine years, FBI agents were able to lure him out of the apartment with a telephone call telling him the boat was taking on water. He was arrested as he left the apartment briefly before Reigh was safely recovered by authorities from inside.
Alexander Gerhartsreiter, who lives in Bergen
, identified Rockefeller as his brother, stating that they are the sons of Simon and Irmgard Gerhartsreiter, a painter and homemaker. On August 15, 2008, the FBI, the Massachusetts State Police
, the Boston Police Department
, and the Suffolk County
District Attorney
announced confirmation of the true identity of the individual who has used the aliases Clark Rockefeller, Chris C. Crowe, Chris Chichester, Charles Smith, and Chip Smith, among others. According to their report, the individual's true name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Gerhartsreiter was conclusively identified by means of forensic examinations conducted by the FBI Laboratory
in Quantico, Virginia
. When Gerhartsreiter, using the name Clark Rockefeller, was arrested, his fingerprint
impressions were taken by FBI agents in Baltimore and by Boston Police when he was returned to Massachusetts
. Those fingerprints were compared to latent fingerprints lifted from a variety of sources. They match a latent print lifted from a wine glass in Boston collected at the time of the search for "Rockefeller" and his daughter earlier in the month. Those fingerprints also match a latent print developed from a document in Gerhartsreiter's immigration file from the early 1980s. Although there were no fingerprint cards or inked impressions in the immigration file, an FBI laboratory was able to develop latent print impressions from a document in that file, which had been provided by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Through fingerprint analysis, the FBI
has confirmed his identity. Gerhartsreiter went to great lengths to conceal his true identity from his wife, Sandra Boss. He repeatedly told her she should file her tax return as a single person, and later in their marriage, when his wife's firm required that a certified public accountant
do her taxes, he found an accountant for her. After their divorce, Boss learned that he had told their accountant he was her brother so that the accountant would continue filing single tax returns for her.
On September 3, 2008, Gerhartsreiter was charged with furnishing a false name to a law enforcement officer following an arrest. His lawyers later argued that he did not do this for dishonest purposes.
On February 13, 2009, Gerhartsreiter's attorneys filed notice that they intended to use an insanity defense for him.
During the trial, conducted in Boston in May and June 2009, Gerhartsreiter's defense team told jurors that Gerhartsreiter believed his daughter had communicated with him telepathically
from London, where she and her mother now live, begging him to rescue her. Two defense experts testified that they have diagnosed Gerhartsreiter with delusional disorder
, grandiose
type, and narcissistic personality disorder
. One of the defense experts, Dr. Keith Ablow, testified that Gerhartsreiter told him that his father had been emotionally abusive during his childhood. Dr. James Chu, a psychiatrist
for the prosecution, testified that he had diagnosed Gerhartsreiter with a "'mixed personality disorder', with narcissistic and anti-social
traits" but felt that Gerhartsreiter had exaggerated his symptoms of mental illness
and was capable of knowing right from wrong, particularly since he allegedly meticulously planned the details of the abduction well in advance. Gerhartsreiter did not take the witness stand. Closing arguments concluded on June 8, and on June 12 the jury found Gerhartsreiter guilty of the charges of parental kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was found not guilty of the charge of assault and battery and of using a false name.
The judge sentenced him to four to five years in state prison on the kidnapping count and a concurrent two to three years on the assault charge.
" by police in the 1985 disappearance and possible murder of Jonathan Sohus, a California
man whose guesthouse he lived in as a tenant in the upscale community of San Marino
, during the mid-1980s. Bones believed to belong to Sohus were found in 1994 buried in the backyard of the home he had lived in with his wife, Linda, who is also missing. Sohus's family members said the bones match Jonathan Sohus's general description but, since he was adopted, there was no way to compare his DNA
against that of biological family members and arrive at a conclusive identity.
Gerhartsreiter, who was then using the alias Christopher Chichester, reportedly told people that Jonathan and Linda Sohus had traveled to Europe
. Their family reportedly received a postcard from the couple sent from France
after Jonathan and Linda Sohus had disappeared, though its authenticity has been questioned. "Chichester" was pulled over by police in Greenwich, Connecticut
, in the late 1980s driving a pickup truck that had belonged to Jonathan Sohus, but he left the area before police could interview him. Police had no proof that Jonathan and Linda Sohus were dead or had not left voluntarily.
News reports indicated that a grand jury
was to be convened in the spring of 2009 to examine the evidence in the Sohus case. The Hon. Frank Gaziano, judge in Gerhartsreiter's parental kidnapping trial, barred prosecutors from presenting evidence about the Sohus case to avoid prejudicing jurors against Gerhartsreiter.
On March 15, 2011, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Gerhartsreiter with the murder of Jonathan Sohus.
On October 17, 2011, an Alhambra Superior Court judge ruled that Gerhartsreiter will appear in court there on January 18, 2012 for a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if enough evidence exists for the case to go to trial.
at 9pm EST on March 13, 2010, with Eric McCormack
in the title role and Sherry Stringfield
as Sandra Boss. The DVD
was released on September 14, 2010.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
man who moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a teenager to study, and thereafter assumed many aliases
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
. Using the false name Clark Rockefeller, he married a Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
graduate student named Sandra Boss. The couple had homes in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, and lived a prosperous lifestyle solely on Boss's high income as a business consultant. Boss eventually determined her husband had lied to her extensively, and sought a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. After their estrangement, Gerhartsreiter kidnapped their daughter, Reigh Storrow Mills Boss, in July 2008 and was arrested six days later. Investigations determined that Gerhartsreiter had wildly embellished his background to give the impression that he was born into great wealth, as a member of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
. He was later convicted and imprisoned on the kidnapping charge, which is presently under appeal. A book about Gerhartsreiter, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, was published in 2011 by journalist Mark Seal
Mark Seal
Mark Seal is an American journalist and author. Seal worked as a journalist in Texas before becoming a freelance magazine writer in 1984, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair since 2003, and has written and co-written about 15 books....
.
In March 2011, Gerhartsreiter was charged with a 1985 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, where he had lived at that time.
Early life
Gerhartsreiter reportedly came to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
foreign exchange student
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
in 1979. Although his family stated that Christian Gerhartsreiter was born on February 21, 1961, he maintains that he was born on February 29, 1960. Gerhartsreiter also told Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
police that his mother is Ann Carter
Ann Carter
Ann Carter is a former American child actress, who worked with dozens of film stars, compiling an "unimaginably distinguished résumé" despite an acting career which "lasted only slightly more than a decade." She is best known for her starring role as Amy Reed in the 1944 film Curse of the Cat...
, an American child actress of the 1940s, which Carter has denied.
Travel to the USA and marriages
Gerhartsreiter first married Amy Jersild Duhnke in 1981 in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, allegedly so he could obtain his green card. Duhnke filed for divorce in 1992 and, according to the divorce papers, claimed that Gerhartsreiter left her the day after the wedding. In 2007, Gerhartsreiter lost custody of his daughter, Reigh, by Sandra Boss, whom he had married in a Quaker ceremony that had no legal status. The child was born as Reigh Storrow Mills Rockefeller, and was nicknamed 'Snooks' (after the character in The Baby Snooks Show
The Baby Snooks Show
The Baby Snooks Show was an American radio program starring comedienne and Ziegfeld Follies alumna Fanny Brice as a mischievous young girl who was 40 years younger than the actress who played her when she first went on the air. The series began on CBS September 17, 1944, airing on Sunday evenings...
radio program), but her mother had the child's surname changed after her reported divorce from Gerhartsreiter, in part because he refused to provide proof of his identity. During the case, Boss, a high-earning McKinsey senior executive who had graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, accused him of lying about being a member of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
. Members of the Rockefeller family have also denied any relation to the man. Boss later testified in June 2009 at his trial that Gerhartsreiter agreed to give her custody of their daughter Reigh following the divorce. She testified that he also agreed to supervised visits three times a year with Reigh in return for an $800,000 settlement, two cars, her engagement ring, and a dress that he had given her. Boss moved with Reigh to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
following the divorce.
Boss testified that Gerhartsreiter was charming and that she believed the stories he told her at the beginning of their relationship. Later, however, he became emotionally abusive and there was a "lot of anger and yelling" in their household. Although Boss earned all of the family income, she testified that Gerhartsreiter had complete control of the family's finances and other aspects of her day-to-day life.
She hired a private investigator in 2006 and discovered that he was not who he claimed to be, though she did not learn his real name at that time. She said he was unpleasant to live with, but did not think he was delusional. Prior to the divorce, Gerhartsreiter had lived with Boss and their child in Cornish, New Hampshire
Cornish, New Hampshire
Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2010 census. Cornish has three covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair.-History:...
, where he used his supposed family ties to bolster his reputation, telling friends and neighbors that he was a wealthy Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
graduate who owned a business in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Gerhartsreiter, under the name Clark Rockefeller, was also a member of Boston's ultra-exclusive Algonquin Club
Algonquin Club
The Algonquin Club of Boston is a private social club in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1886 by a group including General Charles Taylor. Originally a men's business club, it is now open to men and women of all races, faiths, and nationalities....
, where he spent much of his time making additional connections and infiltrating high society. He resigned as one of the Club's Directors in April 2008.
Alleged abduction and apprehension
Authorities allege that on July 27, 2008, Gerhartsreiter abducted his daughter at about 12:45 p.m. in a black sport utility vehicleSport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
. Boston police searched the area of the incident without success, and Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
issued an Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
just before 5 p.m. Later that night police issued a warrant for Gerhartsreiter's arrest. He was charged with custodial kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
, and assault with a deadly weapon — the sport utility vehicle.
Boston police said the father, daughter, and a social worker were in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood at the intersection of Marlborough and Arlington streets, traveling on foot from the Four Seasons Hotel Boston to the Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
when the sport utility vehicle drove up. Gerhartsreiter allegedly grabbed Reigh, pushed the social worker aside, and jumped into the vehicle, which then sped off. The social worker, who police said works for an independent agency, grabbed onto the vehicle and was dragged a short distance before letting go. He was treated for minor injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and released.
Police searched the immediate area and Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
that day. The same day police received calls reporting sightings of Reigh in Dedham
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
, Hyde Park, and even New York's Grand Central Station. Police reported they followed up on all leads, but had nothing solid by the end of the day.
Apprehension
On August 3, 2008, Gerhartsreiter was arrested in Baltimore, Maryland on charges of kidnapping and assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
after a week-long search. He had recently purchased an apartment there for about $450,000 under the name Charles "Chip" Smith. With the help of the owner of a local marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
where Gerhartsreiter had apparently kept a catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
for the past nine years, FBI agents were able to lure him out of the apartment with a telephone call telling him the boat was taking on water. He was arrested as he left the apartment briefly before Reigh was safely recovered by authorities from inside.
Alexander Gerhartsreiter, who lives in Bergen
Bergen, Upper Bavaria
Bergen is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany....
, identified Rockefeller as his brother, stating that they are the sons of Simon and Irmgard Gerhartsreiter, a painter and homemaker. On August 15, 2008, the FBI, the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
, the Boston Police Department
Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
, and the Suffolk County
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
announced confirmation of the true identity of the individual who has used the aliases Clark Rockefeller, Chris C. Crowe, Chris Chichester, Charles Smith, and Chip Smith, among others. According to their report, the individual's true name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Gerhartsreiter was conclusively identified by means of forensic examinations conducted by the FBI Laboratory
FBI Laboratory
The FBI Laboratory is a division within the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation that provides forensic analysis support services to the FBI, as well as to state and local law enforcement agencies free of charge. The lab is currently located at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico,...
in Quantico, Virginia
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
. When Gerhartsreiter, using the name Clark Rockefeller, was arrested, his fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
impressions were taken by FBI agents in Baltimore and by Boston Police when he was returned to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Those fingerprints were compared to latent fingerprints lifted from a variety of sources. They match a latent print lifted from a wine glass in Boston collected at the time of the search for "Rockefeller" and his daughter earlier in the month. Those fingerprints also match a latent print developed from a document in Gerhartsreiter's immigration file from the early 1980s. Although there were no fingerprint cards or inked impressions in the immigration file, an FBI laboratory was able to develop latent print impressions from a document in that file, which had been provided by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Through fingerprint analysis, the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
has confirmed his identity. Gerhartsreiter went to great lengths to conceal his true identity from his wife, Sandra Boss. He repeatedly told her she should file her tax return as a single person, and later in their marriage, when his wife's firm required that a certified public accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
do her taxes, he found an accountant for her. After their divorce, Boss learned that he had told their accountant he was her brother so that the accountant would continue filing single tax returns for her.
Prosecution
On October 2, 2008, at a hearing requested by defense attorney Stephen Hrones, bail was revoked. Hrones had requested the hearing in order to seek a reduction from the $50 million cash bail under which the defendant had previously been held. Instead, the judge ordered the defendant to be held without bail.On September 3, 2008, Gerhartsreiter was charged with furnishing a false name to a law enforcement officer following an arrest. His lawyers later argued that he did not do this for dishonest purposes.
On February 13, 2009, Gerhartsreiter's attorneys filed notice that they intended to use an insanity defense for him.
During the trial, conducted in Boston in May and June 2009, Gerhartsreiter's defense team told jurors that Gerhartsreiter believed his daughter had communicated with him telepathically
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
from London, where she and her mother now live, begging him to rescue her. Two defense experts testified that they have diagnosed Gerhartsreiter with delusional disorder
Delusional disorder
Delusional disorder is an uncommon psychiatric condition in which patients present with circumscribed symptoms of non-bizarre delusions, but with the absence of prominent hallucinations and no thought disorder, mood disorder, or significant flattening of affect...
, grandiose
Grandiose delusions
Grandiose delusion or delusions of grandeur is principally a subtype of delusional disorder that can occur as a wide range of mental illness, including in two thirds of those in manic state of bipolar disorder, half those with schizophrenia and a substantial portion of those with substance abuse...
type, and narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
. One of the defense experts, Dr. Keith Ablow, testified that Gerhartsreiter told him that his father had been emotionally abusive during his childhood. Dr. James Chu, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
for the prosecution, testified that he had diagnosed Gerhartsreiter with a "'mixed personality disorder', with narcissistic and anti-social
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
traits" but felt that Gerhartsreiter had exaggerated his symptoms of mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and was capable of knowing right from wrong, particularly since he allegedly meticulously planned the details of the abduction well in advance. Gerhartsreiter did not take the witness stand. Closing arguments concluded on June 8, and on June 12 the jury found Gerhartsreiter guilty of the charges of parental kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was found not guilty of the charge of assault and battery and of using a false name.
The judge sentenced him to four to five years in state prison on the kidnapping count and a concurrent two to three years on the assault charge.
Charged with murder
Gerhartsreiter was initially identified as a "person of interestPerson of interest
"Person of interest" is a phrase used by law enforcement when announcing the name of someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. The phrase was adopted by the media and widely disseminated, thus most law enforcement agencies have picked up...
" by police in the 1985 disappearance and possible murder of Jonathan Sohus, a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
man whose guesthouse he lived in as a tenant in the upscale community of San Marino
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
, during the mid-1980s. Bones believed to belong to Sohus were found in 1994 buried in the backyard of the home he had lived in with his wife, Linda, who is also missing. Sohus's family members said the bones match Jonathan Sohus's general description but, since he was adopted, there was no way to compare his DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
against that of biological family members and arrive at a conclusive identity.
Gerhartsreiter, who was then using the alias Christopher Chichester, reportedly told people that Jonathan and Linda Sohus had traveled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Their family reportedly received a postcard from the couple sent from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after Jonathan and Linda Sohus had disappeared, though its authenticity has been questioned. "Chichester" was pulled over by police in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, in the late 1980s driving a pickup truck that had belonged to Jonathan Sohus, but he left the area before police could interview him. Police had no proof that Jonathan and Linda Sohus were dead or had not left voluntarily.
News reports indicated that a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
was to be convened in the spring of 2009 to examine the evidence in the Sohus case. The Hon. Frank Gaziano, judge in Gerhartsreiter's parental kidnapping trial, barred prosecutors from presenting evidence about the Sohus case to avoid prejudicing jurors against Gerhartsreiter.
On March 15, 2011, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Gerhartsreiter with the murder of Jonathan Sohus.
On October 17, 2011, an Alhambra Superior Court judge ruled that Gerhartsreiter will appear in court there on January 18, 2012 for a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if enough evidence exists for the case to go to trial.
"Clark Rockefeller" in popular culture
Cable TV network Lifetime premiered the movie Who Is Clark Rockefeller?Who Is Clark Rockefeller?
Who Is Clark Rockefeller? is a 2010 American police procedural television film directed by Mikael Salomon and written by Edithe Swensen. It stars Eric McCormack as Christian Gerhartsreiter/Clark Rockefeller and Sherry Stringfield as Sandra Boss...
at 9pm EST on March 13, 2010, with Eric McCormack
Eric McCormack
Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
in the title role and Sherry Stringfield
Sherry Stringfield
Sherry Lea Stringfield is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Dr. Susan Lewis on the medical television drama ER, a role for which she received three Emmy Award nominations. Stringfield was a member of ER's original cast, but she quit the show during its third season,...
as Sandra Boss. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on September 14, 2010.
External links
- Clark Rockefeller Case File at America's Most Wanted
- San Marino Mystery at Pasadena Star-News
- Review of "Who is Clark Rockefeller?" The New York Times