Christian Gerhartsreiter masquerades across the US for over 20 years as an heir to the fabled Rockefeller fortune. He murders and buries the son of his landlord and kidnaps his own daughter. Police have been seeking him since 1985 as a suspect in the disappearance of a married couple.
TIMELINE:
1978 -- Gerhartsreiter leaves Germany at age 17 for the US.
1981 -- As Chris Gerhart, he marries Amy Jerslid in Madison, Wisconsin1983 -- He takes the name Christopher Chichester and moves into the guesthouse owned by John and Linda Sohus in San Marino, Calif.
1985 -- The Sohus go missing from their home. Police want to question a man known as Christopher Chichester, who is living in a converted garage on the Sohuses' property, but Chichester disappears before investigators can locate him.
1985 -- He changes his name to Christopher Chichester Crowe. As Crowe he lands several broker jobs in Connecticut and Manhattan. He quits abruptly a day before police visit his office.
1988 -- He tries to sell a truck belonging to John Sohus in Greenwich, Conn.
1994 -- Workers digging a pool in the backyard of the Sohus’s house discover human remains in three plastic bags, which they presume are those of John Sohus. Neither Linda nor her remains are located.
1995 -- Changes his name to Clark Rockefeller and marries Sandra Boss in Nantucket.
2001 -- Their daughter Reigh (Pronounced Ray) Rockefeller is born.2007 -- Sandra and Clark divorce.July 27, 2008 -- During a social worker-supervised visit, Gerhartsreiter (as Clark Rockefeller) allegedly grabs his daughter, Reigh, and drives away in an SUV. Law enforcement officials say that Gerhartsreiter then switches to a car driven by a female friend who takes him and his daughter to New York. Police issue an Amber Alert.
July 31, 2008 -- Reigh's mother, Sandra Boss, gives a video statement for the first time since her daughter's alleged kidnapping. In the video, Boss asks her ex-husband, Clark Rockefeller, to return their daughter, Reigh, who goes by the nickname "Snooks."
July 31, 2008 -- Authorities receive a tip from a real estate agent about Gerhartsreiter’s location in the Mt. Vernon district of Baltimore.
August 2, 2008 -- FBI agents lure Gerhartsreiter, now known as "Chip Smith" to people in Baltimore, out of his apartment by making him believe his sailboat was taking on water.
August 5, 2008 -- After a national and international search, Gerhartsreiter is flown to Boston for arraignment.
February 13, 2009 -- Gerhartsreiter’s lawyer, Jeffrey A. Denner, files a motion in Suffolk Superior Court saying his client is not responsible for the abduction because he suffers at the time from a "mental disease or defect" that makes it impossible for him to understand why his actions are wrong or to control them.
May 11, 2009 -- Gerhartsreiter loses his bid to shift his kidnapping trial out of Suffolk County, where defense attorneys fear that his notoriety will make it difficult to get a fair trial.
June 12, 2009 -- Gerhartsreiter is found guilty of kidnapping a minor and assault in the abduction of his daughter.March 15, 2011 -- Rockefeller is charged in the murder of John Sohus
April 10, 2013 -- Rockefeller is convicted of first-degree murder of John Sohus. He receives a sentence of maximum sentence of 27 years to life.
Who is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter?
In 1978 Gerhartsreiter (GARE-hartz-rye-ter), age 17, comes alone and penniless to America from Bergen, Germany, a small resort town in the Bavarian Alps. His father is a house painter and his mother is a seamstress. According to his friends in Bavaria he loves all things American – and expertly impersonates characters of famous American TV shows. His favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock. He has a brother Alexander who later helps to identify him. To gain access to the US Gerhartsreiter tells his first lie, that an American family he met in Germany has invited him to stay with them in California.
Other than Clark Rockefeller, what are his other aliases?
He’s been Chris Gerhart, Christopher Chichester, Christopher C. Crowe, Chip Smith, and Clark Rockefeller… he pretended to have a British accent, be a cardiologist, banker, director, and be related to the Queen of England.
What is notable about him when he uses the alias Chris Gerhart?
As Chris Gerhart (GRR-hart), he moves to Madison, Wisconsin to take classes at the University of Wisconsin, but to get a green card he marries Amy Jerslid and abandons her the day after the wedding. Divorce papers are filed 11 years later.
What is notable about him when he uses the alias Christopher Chichester?
At age 20 he relocates to San Marino, a wealthy upscale area outside of Los Angeles, and starts to go by Christopher Chichester (CH-ches-ter), with a British accent. But in a nearby poorer neighborhood he finds a place to live rent-free, in a guesthouse owned by Ruth “Didi” Sohus, an alcoholic. Eventually, Didi’s son John and his wife Linda move into the main house. He becomes a man about town, charming some of the older female residents of San Marino, and proclaims himself to be the “the Thirteenth Baronet of Chichester,” and carries a business card that backs it up, complete with a crest. One woman says “he knew everything about everything. He was fabulous.”
Who are John and Linda Sohus?
In 1985, John and Linda Sohus tell Didi and friends that they’re leaving for New York on a secret trip. Linda alludes that John is doing government work and tells her mother and sister they’ll be gone for two weeks. They are not heard from or seen again. Postcards supposedly earmarked from France arrive to Linda’s mother, Linda’s best friend and her boss. This is their only correspondence. Shortly after Gerhartsreiter leaves too.
Why does Gerhartsreiter pretend to be Christopher Crowe?
After leaving San Marino, he turns up in Greenwich, Connecticut, another wealthy enclave, and poses as Christopher Crowe, who produced the series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” Gerhartsreiter would point out his assumed name in the credits as proof. He romances the VP of a major securities firm and convinces her boss to hire him. But first, Gerhartsreiter has to pass the difficult brokerage tests – seven hours of exams, which many people with financial degrees, need two or three tries to pass. He passes his first time. His salary is just $24,000 and it makes his VP girlfriend wonder why he’d give up lucrative producing for a beginner’s job in securities. Gerhartsreiter tells her he wants to try something new. While at the firm, he’s suspected of skimming money. When suspicions arise, he won’t let his boss check his computer, so he’s fired. Later, the social security number Gerhartsreiter submitted is checked and it’s the one for David Berkowitz, the legendary Son of Sam serial killer.
Gerhartsreiter then lands a job as VP of a new corporate bond department at Nikko, a huge Japanese brokerage firm. The press release said: “Christopher Crow, who formerly ran the Battenberg-Crowe-von-Wettin Family Foundation, will lead the endeavor as Vice President.” There, the minimum sale was $1 million and Gerhartsreiter earned a large six figure salary. But he can’t find many clients and is fired.
In 1988, while in Connecticut, he tries to sell a pickup truck that is registered to John Sohus. But when he can’t produce proper paperwork, he’s reported to authorities. Authorities are able to piece together that “Chichester” and “Crowe” are the same person, but “Crowe” disappears from Connecticut before police can get to him.
What happens in 1994?
In 1994 a construction crew digging a pool in the backyard of the Sohus home in San Marino uncover John Sohus’s remains in plastic bags from universities Gerhartsreiter attended. Police also find a bloodstain on the concrete floor of the guesthouse. Linda’s whereabouts remain unsolved.
What is unique about him when he becomes Rockefeller?
In the early 90s, Gerhartsreiter changes his name again to Clark Rockefeller and claims he’s an heir to the Rockefeller fortune, went to Yale at age 14, and sold his yacht to Mariah Carey. In 1993, he meets Sandra Boss, a Harvard business school graduate and the youngest woman to become partner at McKinsey, with a $2 million salary. They marry in 1995, in Nantucket. They have a Quaker ceremony, which did not require a formal officiant. Gerhartsreiter says he had an argument with all of his Rockefeller family members and that none are going to come to the wedding. There are signs of his fraudulent behavior everywhere, but no one catches up to him in time.
When married he goes to great lengths to keep his life private, especially from Boss. He has Boss file her tax returns as a single person. Rockefeller does not drive and does not have a driver’s license. Mail is sent to a P.O Box, bills are paid and property is in either Boss’ name or a trust. He notes to Boss that he refuses to visit either Connecticut or California.
What does Gerhartsreiter do for work while he pretends to be Clark Rockefeller?
He decided to raise and educate their daughter, Reigh (RAY). A police officer later says: “The one real thing in his life was his daughter, and his love for his daughter. Everything else has been a fraud.”
What happens to the marriage between Rockefeller and Boss?
Throughout their marriage, Boss says Gerhartsreiter has “a temper.” She considers a separation in the early 2000s. But Reigh is born in 2001. In 2006, Boss hires a private investigator to look into her husband’s background. They divorce in 2007 after 12 years of marriage, but Boss doesn’t realize he’s an impostor. Boss gets full custody and moves to London with her daughter. In the divorce settlement, Rockefeller receives $800,000.
What happens to Reigh and Rockefeller in July of 2008?
A year after the divorce, Rockefeller, now known as Chip Smith and living in Baltimore, has a scheduled visit with his 7-year old daughter, Reigh, and a social worker in Boston. He pushes away the social worker and flees with his daughter in a chauffeured SUV. He then switches to a car driven by a female friend, Aileen Ang, who takes Gerhartsreiter and his daughter to New York. Gerhartsreiter pays her $500.
How long does the kidnapping last and how is Rockefeller apprehended?
Rockefeller, with Reigh in tow, travels to Baltimore where he acquires an apartment. He has also
kept a boat in a Baltimore harbor for nearly 9 years. Agents watch his apartment for days. The real estate agent who leased “Chip Smith” his apartment and the marina owner where “Clark Rockefeller” keeps his boat help authorities to apprehend Gerhartsreiter. On August 2, 2008, a week after kidnapping Reigh, Gerhartsreiter receives a call from the marina that his boat has taken on water. When he leaves the apartment, FBI agents rescue Reigh and arrest him. He’s charged with felony kidnapping, assault and battery, and battery with a dangerous weapon charges.
How is he finally identified as Gerhartsreiter?
Shortly after Reigh is rescued, the FBI properly identify Gerhartsreiter through immigration documents from the early 1980s when he came to the US. They match those fingerprints to ones taken from a wine glass Gerhartsreiter touched around the time he kidnapped Reigh. They then connect Gerhartsreiter to all of his aliases and his brother Alexander assists authorities in identifying him.
What happens at the kidnapping trial?
Gerhartsreiter does not take the stand. Experts for both the prosecution and defense testify that Gerhartsreiter has a variety of mental disorders. But, defense expert Dr. James Chu says that Gerhartsreiter exaggerates his mental illness and was of sound mind when he kidnapped his daughter. On June 12, 2009. Gerhartsreiter is found guilty of parental kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He receives a maximum of five years in prison.
What happens to Gerhartsreiter next?
Now that authorities have linked Gerhartsreiter to all of his aliases, on March 15, 2011, Los Angeles County prosecutors charge him in the murder of John Sohus. A particularly key piece of evidence is that Sohus’s head is found in a University of Wisconsin bag, where Gerhartsreiter took classes. Throughout the trial, Gerhartsreiter maintains his innocence. On April 13, 2013 he is convicted of the first-degree murder of Sohus. He receives a sentence of 27 years to life in prison.
Sources: Vanity Fair, Mirror.co, Wall Street Journal, Time, Telegraph.co, ABC News, The Trouble With Justice.com, Boston.com, LA Times, CNN, NY Daily, Baltimore Sun, Fox News,