Whittier Daily News
I read somewhere that the Boston Globe and "Dateline NBC" would interview Clark Rockefeller, aka Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, in his Boston jail cell this week.
The caveat?
Reporters will only ask questions about his daughter and ex-wife.
My problem?
Boring.
Of course I also have another problem with the arrangement. Speaking for myself, I think it's extremely bizarre that supposedly legitimate news organizations would agree to any terms simply to get an interview with Rockefeller.
But then again I don't know if there's a right answer here. What's unclear about the arrangement is whether the news organizations have also agreed not to report a slip of Gerhartsreiter's tongue that might get him in trouble in Los Angeles County.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any insight. Neither the Boston Globe nor "Dateline" responded to inquiries about the purported interviews.
Rockefeller/Gerhartsreiter, aka Chris Chichester, is not only suspected of assault and parental kidnapping in Massachusetts, he is also a person of interest in a 23-year-old missing persons case and homicide that occurred in San Marino.
As Chichester, authorities said Gerhartsreiter lived in the back house of a home on Lorain Road in 1985. He's probably the last person to have seen newlyweds John and Linda Sohus alive.
Authorities also said fingerprints tie Rockefeller to Gerhartsreiter and Chichester.
Bones recovered from the Sohuses' backyard in 1994 are probably the remains of John Sohus, although DNA testing and a lack of dental records have yet to confirm that. (There's a whole back story here about what's left of the bones - basically the cranium - but that's another column for another day. If you're curious, Google "Sohus remains destroyed.") Anyway, back to the Globe and "Dateline NBC." Other than ratings for television and eyeballs for Web sites, what's the value in such a limited interview? It seems that Gerhartsreiter's attorney, Stephen Hrones, who still calls his client "Rockefeller," has openly discussed a lot of the case, and already proclaimed his client's innocence. Another question I had: Why a reporter would allow him- or herself limited access? So I asked a couple. Both said they would grant the request in hopes that Gerhartsreiter would say something newsworthy. I'm not sure I would, but then again I wasn't asked. Admittedly, my ethical benchmark is somewhat compromised. This is definitely a gray area. There have been times when I've entered into agreements with sources to withhold information - especially if it would jeopardize a criminal investigation. But honestly, this arrangement smells more like a contrived interview with Angelina Jolie or Britney Spears. And isn't that the sort of notoriety Gerhartsreiter has sought all along? Frank Girardot is metro editor of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. Visit his blog at http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime Please Also See: ================================================= Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
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