Hans Reiser arrested on suspicion of murder

Jacobi · #1 10-11-2006, 10:12 AM

cbs article

Hans Reiser in wikipedia

sfgate article

"Hans Reiser, 42, was taken into custody at 11 a.m., hours after Oakland police and FBI technicians searched his home in the Oakland hills. His estranged wife, Nina Reiser, 31, has been missing since Sept. 3, when she dropped off the couple's son and daughter at his home on the 6900 block of Exeter Drive..."

Hans Reiser is famous for his filesystem, ReiserFS, that most distributions of Linux use. The story has so many interesting details:

- the estranged wife was having an affair with Reiser's former financial agent, Sean Sturgeon.

- Sturgeon allegedly drugged Nina Reiser with ecstasy to seduce her

- Sturgeon according to Reiser, "engaged in Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism techniques and continued to redrug [nina] repeatedly over time."

- Sturgeon supposedly has links to criminal underworld

- "DEATH YOGA"...

Floh · #2 10-11-2006, 10:23 AM

Sounds like the DP is in order:

Police: 'All Avenues Led Back To Mr. Reiser'

Authorities would not discuss what evidence they have, but they did say Hans Reiser will be charged and the case will proceed with or without Nina Reiser's body, NBC11's Ethan Harp reported.

"We explored all avenues of her life," Joyner said. "All avenues led back to Mr. Reiser being responsible."

http://www.nbc11.com/news/10046048/detail.html

Jacobi · #3 10-11-2006, 10:27 AM

Okay, reading all the articles, I'm really curious what evidence the police have on Hans Reiser. Also, what makes them think Nina was actually murdered?

I doubt very much that Hans murdered his wife. He is highly intelligent and a borderline genius so if he did, I cannot believe that the evidence would be so easy to come by. If he were to kill anyone, it would be Sturgeon.

Link to site devoted to finding Nina Reiser

nanandjim · #4 10-11-2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacobi

Okay, reading all the articles, I'm really curious what evidence the police have on Hans Reiser. Also, what makes them think Nina was actually murdered?

I doubt very much that Hans murdered his wife. He is highly intelligent and a borderline genius so if he did, I cannot believe that the evidence would be so easy to come by. If he were to kill anyone, it would be Sturgeon.

Link to site devoted to finding Nina Reiser

I believe that he did murder his wife. He sounds like a nut. He is accusing his financial guy, Sturgeon, of drugging and seducing his wife. Yet, another article say Anthony G... is her boyfriend.

Perhaps, they used luminol in his house and are able to trace large amounts of blood throughout the house.

The police must have some kind of evidence to indicate a murder was committed.

Jacobi · #5 10-11-2006, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanandjim

I believe that he did murder his wife. He sounds like a nut. He is accusing his financial guy, Sturgeon, of drugging and seducing his wife. Yet, another article say Anthony G... is her boyfriend.

Perhaps, they used luminol in his house and are able to trace large amounts of blood throughout the house.

The police must have some kind of evidence to indicate a murder was committed.

If Nina was into the whole bdsm thing, then it stands to reason that Anthony was as well. Maybe they were into group activities?

And murder with the kids present, then ditch the car? He's too clever for that. If she was killed then it was definitely not premeditated, maybe he went into a rage and knocked her against the door, then rolled her up in the carpet to dispose of her body. Hmm. Many questions...

nanandjim · #6 10-11-2006, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacobi

If Nina was into the whole bdsm thing, then it stands to reason that Anthony was as well. Maybe they were into group activities?

And murder with the kids present, then ditch the car? He's too clever for that. If she was killed then it was definitely not premeditated, maybe he went into a rage and knocked her against the door, then rolled her up in the carpet to dispose of her body. Hmm. Many questions...

I don't believe that she was in to the "bdsm." Who, other than her husband, says that she was? Is there any proof?

Here's another article that says, "Law enforcement sources said biological evidence that can place the missing woman in a car her husband had access to is a strong part of the circumstantial case against him. They would not say what the biological evidence is, but the term usually includes blood, hair or other body fluids.

The link to the car is important because Nina Reiser's friends have told authorities she never would have voluntarily ridden in a car with him."

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_4470810

GlitchWizard · #7 10-11-2006, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanandjim

I don't believe that she was in to the "bdsm." Who, other than her husband, says that she was? Is there any proof?

He'd need to find the contract he claims was written up for the "Death Yoga". Contracts are pretty standard in bdsm relationships that run to that level. It doesn't really matter though, if she was or was not into bdsm - that would have nothing to do with it if her husband killed her. I'd like to learn more of the evidence against him because if she dropped her kids off with her husband - seems like they'd have been around to get in the way of a murder.

Jacobi · #8 10-11-2006, 11:05 AM

Some points:-

1. Did she go shopping before or after dropping off the kids? (sep 3)

2. Surely the kids are his alibi? Or am I misunderstanding how the police think it went down...

scandi · #9 10-11-2006, 02:28 PM

I had posted this on the 'Silence of the Lamb' thread and out of posterity I'm putting it here too. It could just be a coincidence that these other two women went missing so soon after Ms Lamb was murdered and both disappeared in the same way, leaving a grocery store.

Stephanson who has been arrested for Lambs murder might have already been in custody on the 5th, but we haven't really clarified a Timeline yet, so I think possibilities abound here if Reiser isn't guilty. By the way I found this by Googling and it came from a comment at Scared Monkey's:

"It seems there are two other Oakland women who went missing right after Ms Lamb was found I Googled Stefanson + Oakland murderer and actually got several articles about this man:

http://missingexploited.com/2006/10...ement/#comments

snip
' . . In respect to the timeline of the disappearances and the identity of the victims I assert the following:

On August 26, 2006: Ms. Leslie Lamb, who had been secretly
seeing Mr. Stephanson over the preceeding three-month period is driven to the hospital with major injuries from the torture and beating sustained at Mr. Stephanson’s home. She is left at the hospital with a statement from Stephanson that Ms. Lamb was found in her car in that condition. She dies within minutes of her arrival.

On September 5, 2006: Ms. Nina Reiser, of Russian descent, is abducted on her way home from the grocery store. The unoccupied vehicle is reported to police about a week later, however it is ascertained that the vehicle had been in that location since around the time of Ms. Reiser’s disappearance. No body is found.

On September 9, 2006: Joanna “Asha” Veil, of Poland descent, is abducted on her way home from her work (a grocery store) in the Bay area. Her unoccupied vehicle is found within a quarter-mile from her job. Within days her body is found, face down, in a wilderness area between a dirt road and a creek.

I believe that Mr. Stephanson had a crush (as people like him are never really capable of loving anyone) on Ms. Lamb and upon murdering her, he felt guilty. She is the only vicim that he reported or tried to save after severely beating her.

But, once the rage was released, Mr. Stephanson lost control and/or felt the need to murder again. I believe that Ms. Reiser and Ms. Veil were “chance” encounters and were true random murders.

I hope I am wrong, but I have lived in that area, and I have seen how these things go. I am grateful that he was stopped before he hurt anymore women as most of these people will never stop until they are stopped. . ."

Does anyone know what day they arrested Stephanson?"

Scandi

scandi · #10 10-11-2006, 02:37 PM

Now that I think about it a bit more, all three women are cases in the same cop shop, namely Oakland's Homicide division, right? If they still think Reiser killed his wife knowing all about Stephanson, there has to be a reason for it.

I'm amazed that within a matter of days 2 women have gone missing that were involved with w different Oakland men involved in S&M sex torturing. Pretty bizare, and am now wondering if these two guys knew each other. I don't know where they buy their equipment, but it could be they shop at the same naughty store! LOL

Scandi

Jacobi · #11 10-11-2006, 02:43 PM

Check out the google map:

From Berkeley Bowl to Reiser House

10-15 min drive.

And, if you look at the satellite photos, Reiser lives really close to a densely wooded region to the east of his house (to dispose of a body). The thornhill neighbourhood is in the other direction, so I think the car might have been used to throw people off, so to speak.

scandi · #12 10-11-2006, 02:52 PM

Now I see in the opening link that Nina went missing on Oct 3rd: " . .Nina Reiser, 31, has been missing since Sept. 3".

So Stephanson , if arrested on the 3rd could still be a possibility. I bet they don't have the DNA back yet on the blood from two different woman found in his house.

Gosh it is so coincidental, isn't it, that blood from 2 other women was found in his house and 2 other women went missing within days of Ms Lamb. Sends a little chill right down one's back!

Scandi

CaliKid · #13 11-04-2007, 12:13 AM

He is one creepy guy, but the case wasn't done any good by Sturgeon's confession to killing 8 people. I hope the defense isn't able to convince the jury of reasonable doubt.

CyberLaw · #14 11-04-2007, 02:45 PM

Sturgeons comments will not come into court, they are irrelevant. I very much doubt given the DNA evidence that Hans will get off.

i.b.nora · #15 11-07-2007, 05:32 PM

Hans pleaded not guilty on Aug. 25 to a civil contempt charge of failure to pay 50 percent medical expenses and child care expenses as ordered by a judge and the case was scheduled for trial in October.

The weekend of Nina's 'disappearance' in early September was like a perfect storm. Hans' mother was away from the house attending the Burning Man festival and her absence offered Hans the opportunity to murder Nina and dispose of the body, do the cleanup, etc, without anyone around to witness. Oh, except for those pesky kids and the neighbor who saw him washing off the driveway area of the house. Having his mom's car available to him was handy too. He had to do it before that trial date in October, and he was still 'steaming' from the Aug. 25 decision. He had to do it that weekend.

There are so many pieces of circumstantial evidence as well as peculiar behaviors on the part of Hans that it would be difficult for me to conclude that he didn't do it.

All this passport stuff is meaningless. Besides, I don't think it was about passports, I think it was said by the defense that she had gotten the kids Russian citizenship without Hans' knowledge.

i.b.nora · #16 11-07-2007, 05:38 PM

NEW: Reiser son to testify in court
By Chris Metinko, Staff writer
Article Last Updated: 11/07/2007 02:18:38 PM PST

OAKLAND — After months of speculation, the lead prosecutor in the Hans Reiser trial told the jury today that the couple's oldest child will testify in court.

"The couple's 8-year-old son, Rory, will take the stand, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hora told the jury during day two of his lengthy opening statement. Rory and his sister Nio, 6, were placed in foster care after Nina Reiser mysteriously disappeared and currently are living with Nina Reiser's mother in Russia.

According to Hora, the young boy has given differing accounts of what occurred around the time his mother disappeared. However, now in Russia and undergoing therapy, Hora said Rory recently spoke about some strange behavior and sounds he heard in his father's home the day Nina Reiser went missing."

and

"Just this past June, Hora said, Rory told people that the night his mother disappeared he was at his father's house in Montclair. However, his father did not sleep in the basement of the home with him and his sister, as he usually did, he said. He also recounted seeing and hearing someone come down the steps to the basement, late at night, carrying something big."

much more in this article

i.b.nora · #17 11-07-2007, 05:48 PM

Prosecutor: Linux Engineer Reiser Coaxed Son to Cover up Mom's Murder

By David Kravets November 07, 2007 | 4:07:42 PM

snips

"OAKLAND, California -- Hans Reiser, the Linux engineer who is a black belt in judo, might have choked his estranged wife to death and possibly coaxed his 6-year-old son to help cover it up, a prosecutor told jurors here Wednesday during the second day of Reiser's murder trial.

"There are a lot of different chokes," prosecutor Paul Hora told jurors as he explained the art of judo. "It's fast. It's quiet. It's deadly.""

and

""We know Nina didn't leave the Exeter residence alive," Hora told the 12-member jury."

and

"Jurors appeared hypnotized by Hora's every word as he described several interviews the authorities had with the couple's 6-year-old son in the days and months following the woman's disappearance Sept. 3, 2006.

During one interview with the boy, according to Hora, the child said "I'm not telling the police anything about my dad." The prosecutor added that the boy said "The police might try to track him down."

The interviewer, Hora said, told the authorities he knew that because "My dad said so."

Still, Hora told the jury that the credibility of the boy was questionable. "He's just not reliable because he's so little," Hora said. He speculated that the boy's answers had "been influenced."

He said the boy, who is expected to testify later, was shaky on the details. Or, Hora said, "He's intentionally not revealing them.""

and

"Hora, the prosecutor, told the jury that in June, the young boy drew a picture of the staircase at the Exeter Drive house and told mental health professionals he had a vision of somebody carrying something big down the stairs the night his mother went missing. "I was scared. I started shaking. I closed my eyes as tight as I could," Hora said, recounting the boy's account.

Hora told jurors that perhaps the boy was telling the truth, or "maybe it was his imagination.""

and

"DuBois (defense attorney) and Reiser's relationship is anything but cordial. The two are often seen verbally fighting one another at the defense table, even as Hora is outlining his case to jurors.

"There's abrasion there," DuBois told reporters. "Hans has an abrasive personality."

DuBois said his client was in low spirits as his trial gets underway. "It's a little bit of a downer to be on trial for murder -- a murder you did not commit.""

Lola · #18 11-08-2007, 06:26 AM

Thanks for the update, i.b. The fact that Rory is coming at all is a boost for the prosecution. It also rankled me that Nina's family seemed to be happy to stay away from the trial.

I look forward to hearing Mr. DuBois.

CyberLaw · #19 11-08-2007, 04:11 PM

I was under the impression that you need a VISA and other "specific" things to enter the USA from Russia. Please don't assume that "Nina's well educated and well off family" choose to stay away from the trial. They may choose to not put themselves through the trial. That again is their decision.

Not everyone wants to attend a trial and hear all of the details.

Taximom · #20 12-07-2007, 05:33 PM

Prosecution to put Reiser's young son on the stand:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/14533667/detail.html

CyberLaw · #21 12-09-2007, 08:35 PM

Taxi Mom: The article that you link to is from November 7, 2007. Right now they are showing a movie of "Nina at her son's birthday party when she was six. The children's doctor testified, the BF

The Jury was looking at the movie and smiling. Rory really enjoyed his party. The Children's Doctor testified at Nina holding and comforting the children at the Doctors. Hans Reiser threatened to take the Doctor to Court if she did not stop being the Children's Doctor. Hans claimed "Nina" "friend" was molesting the children. They read testimony from HR Mom, that Nina would leave the children. Then in court testimony in defense of her son, she says: Nina must have run off to Russia. Changed her story when son on trial for murder. BF left many messages for Nina, friends left messages. BF had date on September 3, with Nina. She was starting a job in two weeks and had scheduled the first of three exams to become a US Doctor.

The prosecution: Nina was a Mom who would never leave her kids, her friends.

Defense: Nina was of questionable character who "was enjoying" dating various men, was a terrible Mom, used Hans, money grubbing and left for Russia and could not care less about the kids.

I hope the jury does not buy that. Hans seemed to do whatever it takes to "make things" very difficult for Nina and resented the fact that she wanted a Divorce from him. He subscribes to the "everything is Nina's fault, not mine. I am not to blame.

Can't get the article from the Mercury News though. They don't accept my postal code, keeps asking for zip code.

i.b.nora · #22 12-09-2007, 11:41 PM

Wired magazine seems to have some of the best overall coverage of this trial.

This article covers this whole past week:

Defense Demonized Missing Wife in Week Four of Hans Reiser's Murder Trial

Here is the most recent Mercury News article, hopefully this link will allow you to read:

Defense shares ads viewed by Nina Reiser before disappearance

And, the San Francisco Chronicle article:

Defense lawyer grills Nina Reiser's boyfriend

FACE-IT · #23 12-10-2007, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberLaw

Taxi Mom: The article that you link to is from November 7, 2007. Right now they are showing a movie of "Nina at her son's birthday party when she was six. The children's doctor testified, the BF

The Jury was looking at the movie and smiling. Rory really enjoyed his party. The Children's Doctor testified at Nina holding and comforting the children at the Doctors. Hans Reiser threatened to take the Doctor to Court if she did not stop being the Children's Doctor. Hans claimed "Nina" "friend" was molesting the children. They read testimony from HR Mom, that Nina would leave the children. Then in court testimony in defense of her son, she says: Nina must have run off to Russia. Changed her story when son on trial for murder. BF left many messages for Nina, friends left messages. BF had date on September 3, with Nina. She was starting a job in two weeks and had scheduled the first of three exams to become a US Doctor.

The prosecution: Nina was a Mom who would never leave her kids, her friends.

Defense: Nina was of questionable character who "was enjoying" dating various men, was a terrible Mom, used Hans, money grubbing and left for Russia and could not care less about the kids.

I hope the jury does not buy that. Hans seemed to do whatever it takes to "make things" very difficult for Nina and resented the fact that she wanted a Divorce from him. He subscribes to the "everything is Nina's fault, not mine. I am not to blame.

Can't get the article from the Mercury News though. They don't accept my postal code, keeps asking for zip code.

Use ZIP 95113 for San Jose

CyberLaw · #24 12-11-2007, 10:48 AM

Thank you Buzzm1, I really do appreciate you providing the "zip code".

I am really rather annoyed that Hans Reiser is reaching for straws with no evidence at all, and "making Nina out to the the bad person" when she cannot even defend herself. Hans Reiser makes me rather annoyed.

FLMom · #25 12-15-2007, 12:58 PM

Saw this elsewhere online and not sure if it's been posted as of yet.

Reisers' son approached U.S. tourists in Russia, asking about mom

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BAVHTSQGB.DTL