'Rockefeller' Jury Selection Begins

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»

(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»

(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»