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‘Rockefeller’ might plead guilty in kidnapping

A lawyer for the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller said discussions are under way for a possible guilty plea to at least one charge against him in the kidnapping of his daughter.
Image: Clark Rockefeller
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who calls himself Clark Rockefeller, is arraigned on kidnapping charges last Sept. 29 in Boston, Mass.Mike Adaskaveg / Pool via AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

A lawyer for the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller said Thursday that discussions are under way for a possible guilty plea to at least one charge against him in the kidnapping of his 7-year-old daughter.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Denner told The Associated Press the defense and prosecution would go before a judge Thursday to conduct plea negotiations.

Denner said the two sides are "exploring all options," including a guilty plea or trial.

Rockefeller is charged with parental kidnapping, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and giving a false name to police.

He allegedly took his daughter during a supervised visit in Boston in July, then fled with her to Baltimore. The girl was found unharmed.

After his arrest in Baltimore in August, he was identified as Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German national who lived under various aliases after arriving in the United States in 1978.

Tied to 1985 disappearances
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office has labeled Gerhartsreiter a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of Jonathan and Linda Sohus. Gerhartsreiter, who at the time called himself Christopher Chichester, rented a guesthouse at the home of Jonathan Sohus' mother in San Marino, a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.

Gerhartsreiter has denied any involvement in the couple's disappearance.

After Gerhartsreiter's arrest, Los Angeles authorities filed an affidavit along with Boston police seeking a search warrant for his computer hard drives.

Nine years after the couple disappeared, workers building a pool for the new owners of the San Marino home unearthed a man's bones that remain unidentified. Investigators did new DNA testing on the bones after Gerhartsreiter's arrest but have not released details.

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