Rockefeller arraigned in California murder case
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, AKA Christopher Chichester, AKA Clark Rockefeller pled not guilty today to first degree murder in a California courtroom. He is charged with killing John Sohus, his landlady’s son, back when he lived in San Marino, CA, as aspiring filmmaker Chris Chichester. Sohus and his wife Linda mysteriously disappeared in 1985, and John’s bones were found in the San Marino home’s backyard in 1994. What happened to Linda is unknown.
Fifteen years later, while living as Clark Rockefeller in Boston, he was convicted of kidnapping his then 7-year-old daughter away from his ex-wife during a supervised visit. The 50-year-old Rockefeller was transferred earlier this week from a prison in Boston to a jail in California while he awaits trial in the new/old case. Jeffrey Denner, his lawyer from Boston, was with him at today’s arraignment, as well as Brad Bailey, from the same firm. They say that he maintains his innocence. The next hearing is set for August 16.
More coverage of today’s proceedings and the twists and turns of Rockefeller’s remarkable life, from the L.A. Times, Boston Globe, and Reuters.