'Rockefeller' Jury Won't Hear of Calif. Case

Witness testifies he was controlling, not delusional

(NEWSER) - Trial resumed in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case today, with jurors hearing testimony that Brian David Mitchell was not delusional, but rather deliberately controlling and intimidating, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Mitchell "has a personality that is much larger than I’ve ever encountered," testified a former cop who ran into Mitchell, his wife, and Smart on the street. "He gave me a look that was so intimidating, so encompassed, he stopped me before I could say hello." 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»

(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»

(AP) - Jurors in the kidnapping trial of the German man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller ended deliberations for today without a verdict. The Boston jurors got the case shortly after noon, and later asked the judge questions about one of the charges, that of providing a false name to police. Rockefeller's real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. More»