'Rockefeller' Trial Sparks Identity Crisis

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) - Lawyers for Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter—aka Clark Rockefeller—want his conviction overturned because the jury was unfairly prejudiced against their client, the Boston Globe reports. Rockefeller was found guilty of kidnapping his daughter. The lawyers say the prosecution “eviscerated” their insanity defense during closing arguments by calling an unqualified expert witness. More»

But he stonewalls on his past

(NEWSER) - The father who still insists on calling himself Clark Rockefeller described six days on the lam with his 7-year-old kidnapped daughter—nicknamed Snooks—as "glorious," reports the Boston Globe. But he refuses to discuss his past life using several aliases. "We had such a wonderful time," he said in a jailhouse interview. "It was like a trance. It was so glorious. It was great to be with my daughter again." More»

(AP) - A German man who called himself Clark Rockefeller and spun fantastic stories about himself during 3 decades in the US was sentenced today to 4 to 5 years for kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was convicted of parental kidnapping today for taking the girl during a supervised visit and of assault for injuries suffered by the social worker who was with them. More»

(NEWSER) - A Boston jury found the con man known as Clark Rockefeller guilty of kidnapping and assault today in the abduction of his young daughter last year, the Boston Herald reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced this afternoon. The jury found him not guilty of using a false name—he was born Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter in Germany—and on a lesser assault charge. His lawyers had mounted an insanity defense, which almost never succeeds in Massachusetts. More»