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Rockefeller Impostor Challenges Mass. Conviction
Lawyers for a German man who pretended to be a member of the Rockefeller family argued that his conviction for kidnapping his daughter should be thrown out because a prosecutor denigrated his insanity defense.
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who used the name Clark Rockefeller, is serving a four- to five-year sentence.
During closing arguments at Gerhartsreiter's trial, the prosecutor noted his history of using aliases and urged jurors not to let his insanity claim "be the culminating manipulation in a lifetime of lies."
Gerhartsreiter's lawyer argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court on Friday the statement helped "eviscerate" his defense.
A prosecutor said the statement highlighted evidence of Gerhartsreiter's lies.
Gerhartsreiter has nearly completed his Massachusetts sentence. He is awaiting trial in California on a charge of murdering his landlady's son in 1985.
This program aired on June 1, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.