Still No Verdict For "Crockefeller" But Cali May Want Him For Murder
BOSTON (CBS/AP) Just as jurors are set to begin a fifth day of deliberations in the parental kidnapping trial of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller, authorities from California have been attending the trial daily and continue to gather evidence for a separate murder charge for the conman.
Rockefeller - whose real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter- is accused of snatching his 7-year-old daughter during a supervised visit in Boston in July.
California police have labeled him a person of interest in the 1985 disappearance and presumed slayings of a San Marino couple, Jonathan and Linda Sohus. Gerhartsreiter, who then went by the name Christopher Chichester, was living in a guest house on the family's property when they disappeared. A grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case. Gerhartsreiter has said he had nothing to do with their disappearance.
The victim's sister, Ellen Sohus, toldThe Boston Herald that her family is desperate to find out what happened to the couple and that no matter what happens in the Boston trial they would like to see Rockefeller sent back to California.
"We're very hopeful we'll finally have justice," Sohus told the Herald, "This has always been an issue looming in the back of our hearts," she said. "It truly haunted my dad every day."
Gerhartsreiter, 48, is accused of snatching his daughter during his first visit with her after his December 2007 divorce.
Two mental health experts testifying for the defense said Gerhartsreiter was delusional and legally insane when he kidnapped his daughter.
Prosecutors call his insanity claim "preposterous" and say he's a con man who planned the kidnapping for months after losing custody of the girl to his ex-wife.
The jurors - who began weighing the case on Monday - are scheduled to resume deliberations Friday morning.
He also faces two assault charges after being accused of pushing to the ground a social worker overseeing the visit and instructing his hired driver to "Go! Go! Go!" while the social worker grabbed onto the car door. The social worker suffered minor injuries.
The German-born Gerhartsreiter is also charged with providing a false name to police.
During the trial, several witnesses testified about elaborate tales Gerhartsreiter told during the three decades he has lived in the United States, including his claims of being a physicist, ship's captain and debt negotiator for small countries.
Prosecutors say he used multiple aliases - including the famous Rockefeller name - to ingratiate himself in wealthy circles in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
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