Sunday, May 4, 2008

Hans Reiser found guilty.

Hans Reiser, fot those who do not know, is the creative force behind the ResierFS file system that is used for many Linux distros. It is regarded by many as a very fast reliable file system structure that is complete, except for a few bugs and minor security flaws. However, all of this work became horribly tarnished when Resier's wife, Nina, went missing and Hans was charged with her murder.

I don;t think many people thought he was innocent. There were just too many things that didn't add up and seemed incredibly suspicious. Him disposing of his passenger car seat, checking out books on crime scene investigation weeks just before Nina's disappearance, and Resier's insistance that Nina had fled back to her native Russia and was being protected by exKGB friends.

Hans Reiser, 44, bowed his head in court as the jury found him guilty of a crime that carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Nina Reiser disappeared more than a year ago after dropping off the couple's children at Hans Reiser's home. Her body has never been found.

Du Bois argued during the trial that there was no direct evidence linking his client to Nina Reiser's disappearance and suggested the woman may be living in her native Russia or may be the victim of foul play.

But prosecutors argued the circumstantial evidence against Reiser was strong: the two were involved in a bitter custody dispute, traces of her blood were found in his home and car and witnesses testified she would never have left her children.

Also, prosecutor Paul Hora said that after Nina Reiser disappeared, Reiser threw away the passenger seat of his car, hosed down the floorboards and started withdrawing large amounts of cash.

When Reiser was arrested in October 2006, he was carrying his passport and thousands of dollars.

Du Bois portrayed Reiser as eccentric, but nonviolent, and said there were innocent explanations for his behavior.

Reiser testified his wife left his house alive and he had nothing to do with her disappearance. He said he threw away the car seat to make the car more comfortable for sleeping in and washed the car floor because it was dirty.

- Source


There's way more than just that, but those are the main highlights. There is an older story about Reiser on Wired.com that you can read that explains the evidence against him a bit more.

No comments: