'Rockefeller' Will Plead Insanity

Accused kidnapper's lawyers building case for insanity

(NEWSER) - The accused kidnapper who calls himself Clark Rockefeller suffers from multiple mental illnesses, a psychologist testified yesterday in a pre-trial hearing. Rockefeller, who went on the lam with his young daughter, has delusions of grandeur and a narcissistic personality disorder, said the expert, whose testimony will be used at trial to bolster Rockefeller's insanity defense, reports the Boston Globe. The disorders mean Rockefeller lacked the judgment to properly consent to interviews with investigators and the media after his arrest, said the expert. More»

Defendant's name(s) at issue as jury readies for kidnapping case

(NEWSER) - A Boston court saw the selection yesterday of 11 of the 16 jurors needed to begin the trial of Clark Rockefeller. Or of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Or of "the defendant," as the judge calls him. The mystery man is on trial for kidnapping his daughter, and because he's also charged with giving police a false name, the issue is a serious one, reports the Boston Herald. More»

Gerhartsreiter to be called only 'the defendant' at trial

(NEWSER) - Jury selection has started in the kidnapping trial of a German man long called Clark Rockefeller, the Boston Herald reports. But he won’t be going by that name in the trial—in fact, most won’t call him anything but “the defendant.” He was indicted as Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, but only his lawyer and a prosecutor will use that name. More»

(NEWSER) - The bizarre case of “Clark Rockefeller,” nee Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, may soon come to a close, the Boston Globe reports. The conman, awaiting trial for kidnapping, fraud, and assault, has been offered a deal consisting of 5 years' jail time and 15 years' probation. He must decide by February 11. “We are fully prepared to bring him to trial,” a DA spokesman said. More»

Gerhartsreiter will faces charges he murdered his landlord in 1985

(NEWSER) - Christian Gerhartsreiter, the German immigrant whose many fake identities included blueblood heir Clark Rockefeller, has a new role this week: murder defendant. The 50-year-old has been taken from the Massachusetts prison where he was serving time for kidnapping his daughter and moved to California for trial on charges that he murdered his landlord in 1985 , reports the Boston Herald . More»