Boston Trial to Test ‘Insanity’ Defense

The recent high-profile case, which is being called the Commonwealth v. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, is likely to make history as it redefines the common insanity defense. According to the case, a Bavarian-born man has used a slew of aliases over the past 30 years. He has most recently referred to himself as Clark Rockefeller- a name that he used to convince people that he was related to the famous dynasty.

Last July, the man abducted his own daughter from a Back Bay street. His lawyers say that at the time he was legally insane.  A forensic psychologist who was hired by his defense team also testified that he was mentally ill, and a diagnosis unto himself. However, the man may become the first to use a mental insanity plea to avoid charges of custodial kidnapping.

Gerhartsreiter also faces charges in the disappearance and presumed murder of a California couple in an affluent Los Angeles suburb. He has been labeled a person of interest since their disappearance in 1985.