1984 video of fake Rockefeller surfaces in San Marino

The San Marino Historical Society found a video of the infamous 1984 “Father’s Night” production that featured a guy they knew then as Christopher Chichester singing and dancing. Here’s an exclusive sneak peak of the video that you won’t see anywhere else.
Turns out Chichester’s real identity was Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German national who would later become Clark Rockefeller. Earlier this year Gerhartsreiter was convicted in the 1985 slaying of San Marino resident John Sohus and remains linked to the disappearance of Sohus’ wife Linda. He was recently sentenced to a life term in state prison. You can read about the case in my book “Name Dropper” or check out our extensive archive of stories on the Pasadena Star-News website.
Here’s the video:

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One thought on “1984 video of fake Rockefeller surfaces in San Marino

  1. Frank, I just finished reading Mark Seal’s and your ebook on this case. Excellent material! Do you recall it if was ever determined with 100% certainty that the human remains found in 1994 belonged to John Sohus?

    I’m still unconvinced that the German guy killed John. Maybe he did, but I think the Whetherbee couple had far more to gain from John’s disappearance than the defendant.

    The bookstore bags don’t constitute evidence. We know that the German guy lived on Lorain Rd, so he could have very well left those old plastic bags behind. Then whoever killed the victim, simply used those bags to wrap the body parts. After all, those bags were probably lying around in the guest house. Was it ever determined with any precision when the buried person was killed? Could it have been after Gerhartsreiter left California?

    I wasn’t present during the trial, so I don’t really know what happened. but I think that the defense lawyers did a lousy job. The prosecution case has holes all over it. Which brings me back to my first question. Was it ever proved that the remains were Jonh’s? A forensic expert thought they belonged to an Asian man.

    If Gerhartsreister killed John, why would he hold on to his pick up truck? He’s too smart for that. The defendant is a compulsive liar and a con artist, who made up identities and told tall tales well *before* John disappeared. So, obviously, his lies and false names were not concocted to escape a murder investigation (at least, not necessarily so).

    Do you think a cold blooded killer would have risked it all just to be with his daughter? I’m amazed at how much effort he put into educating Snooks, teaching her to read at an early age, etc. None of this fits the profile of a murderer.

    I suspect he was found guilty because he’s a despicable, arrogant con artist, who even after being caught kept lying about his identities. Meaning, judge, jury, and even his own lawyers had no sympathy for him.

    What do you think? I can be reached at sim7396, a hotmail address. Thank you for reading!

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