The Boston Globe reports on February 11, 2009 that negotiations for a plea bargain in a parental kidnapping case that captured national attention have collapsed. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, AKA Clark Rockefeller, is a German national who allegedly used many aliases during his thirty years in the US. He insinuated himself in high society from Los Angeles to Manhattan to Beacon Hill by claiming a lineage that increased his social status.
Gerhartsreiter is charged with parental kidnapping, giving a false name to a police officer, and two assaults. He is accused of kidnapping his daughter, Reigh Storrow Mills Boss, from a Back Bay street during a supervised visit on July 27. Earlier articles about the Rockefeller kidnapping may be found on this Blog may be found here.
It seems that Gerhartsreiter did not like the proffered plea bargain offered by the prosecutor: If he pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him, the PA promised to recommend a sentence of 4 1/2 to 5 years in prison, (the maximum penalty for parental kidnapping in Massachusetts), followed by probation for 15 years.
Gerhartsreiter’s attorney apparently is going to plead insanity as a defense. The prosecutor’s response? Bring it on. We’re ready.
You may read the Boston Globe article here.
For information on early identification of risk for parental kidnapping, see this blog article, which also discusses preventative measures to be sought in court.
For earlier articles about parental kidnapping on this blog, see these archives.
You'll find many other valuable resources on Jeanne M. Hannah's website http://parental-kidnapping.com. If your child is missing, please contact me to see if I can assist you or your attorney in recovery. I've consulted in many interstate parental kidnappings -- 7 in the past 12 months alone -- and can walk your attorney through the process even if Michigan is not one of the states involved. You can email me jeannemhannah@charter.net or call me at 231-275-5600 or 231-649-2140.
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