Rockefeller charged with giving police a false name

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/file)

By Maria Cramer and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Police had to sort through a half dozen aliases and follow clues to a small Bavarian town before they confirmed the true identity of the accused kidnapper who calls himself Clark Rockefeller. This afternoon in Boston Municipal Court, he faced a fresh allegation: Giving a false name to police.

The new charge was the most significant development to arise from a brief hearing in Boston Municipal Court. More than two dozen reporters crowded the courtroom to catch a glimpse of Rockefeller, who shuffled into view in leg irons and handcuffs. He wore orange drawstring pants, a white shirt, and his beard looked scruffy and full.

Attorney Stephen Hrones identified his client in court as Clark Rockefeller, rejecting the name Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, which police say is his true identity.

"It's a ridiculous charge," Hrones said after the hearing. "It's not going to get anywhere. They're desperate to bring up any charges."

In a statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said: “The charge reflects this defendant’s prevarication. And the complaint reflects his true identity.”

Rockefeller's probable cause hearing was continued until Sept. 30. He will continue to be held without bail.

Rockefeller, 47, is accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter in July during a supervised visit with a social worker. He had already been charged with kidnapping a minor relative, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

California authorities have also named Rockefeller a "person of interest" in the disappearance and presumed slaying of young newlyweds in 1985. Rockefeller lived in the guesthouse of John and Linda Sohus when they went missing from their San Marino home. In 1994, workers digging a pool discovered bones believed to be those of John Sohus, but no trace of Linda Sohus has been found.

Last Friday and Saturday as many as 40 investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, the county coroner's office, crime lab criminologists, and others scoured the property that once belong to the missing couple. They used ground-penetrating radar and cadaver-sniffing dogs in what a spokesman described as a productive search. Authorities declined to say whether they found new information linking Rockefeller to the couple.

Rockefeller has denied playing any role in the disappearance of John and Linda Sohus.

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