Murder, code and Hans Reiser

. . . keeping an eye on the penguin

Keywords: Match:

Nov. 05, 2007

Hans Reiser, well-known open-source developer, goes on trial Nov. 5 for the murder of his wife, Nina Reiser, in Alameda County Superior Court in California. Reiser is the founder of Namesys and creator and primary developer of the popular ReiserFS Linux file system.

Nina Reiser, the estranged wife of Reiser, has been missing since Sept. 3, 2006. She had dropped off the couple's children at Reiser's home in Oakland's Montclair area, but never returned to pick them up. Her car was later found abandoned in another part of Montclair. Oakland police arrested Reiser and charged him with her murder on Oct. 11, 2006. Reiser, who has been held without bail ever since, continues to maintain his innocence.

The Reisers were married in 1999 but separated by 2004. The divorce, which has not been finalized, has been a bitter affair. Reiser had been accused of abusing Nina Reiser. He accused her of having an affair with Sean Sturgeon, his former friend. Custody of their two children had also become a major issue. The children are staying with Nina Reiser’s mother's family in Russia.

No sign of Nina Reiser or her body have been found despite a reward offer. Despite the lack of physical evidence, Oakland police say they have built a detailed case using circumstantial evidence.

While it appears the jury won't hear this part of the story, Sturgeon has confessed to eight murders, but he denies killing Nina Reiser. Sturgeon claims that he became a Christian, and that he had committed the murders in the 1990s. Sturgeon remains free.

Sturgeon claimed he loaned Reiser's Namesys business over $80,000, but that Reiser refused to pay it back.

Since being jailed, Reiser stopped running his company and attempted to sell it to pay for his legal defense in early 2007. At the time, his attorney, William DuBois, said Reiser was running out of money to pay for his defense. "This is a unique opportunity for someone to buy the company for pennies on the dollar,” DuBois said. “We welcome all vultures."

In a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, DuBois suggested that Nina Reiser is alive and living a secret life in her native Russia with her mother and children. DuBois is quoted as saying, "I think the clear implication is that she [Nina] might have had something to do with this. Maybe she was planning to take the kids to Russia and leave her husband here in jail."

—Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Do you have comments on this story?

Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.

Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.

Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.

Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.

Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.

Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.

Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.

Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Also visit:
• eWEEK's Linux center
• Dev Shed
and, our 'evil twin'...
• Microsoft-Watch.com

Latest Linux-Watch Posts

• Worst security blooper ever?
• Novell offers RHEL, CentOS support
• Windows 7 no threat to netbook Linux
• Microsoft breaks HotMail for Linux users?
• Torvalds: Real quality means taking it personally
• Opinion: open source value transcends tough times
• OpenOffice 3.0 reviewed
• Shutting down idle PCs with Linux
• Linux valued at $10.9 billion
• UK gains LPI affiliate
More Linux-Watch posts

DesktopLinux headlines:
• "Moonlight" ready to shine
• Adobe unleashes 64-bit Flash
• Debian Lenny installer arrives
• Ubuntu announces ARM port
• Amazon offers Linux XOs
• Windows 7 "no threat" to netbook Linux
• Creative frees Sound Blaster driver code
• Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits
• Ibex inspires GNOME switch
• Linux to outship Windows in 2009?
More DesktopLinux news

LinuxDevices headlines:
• Die-shrunk x86 SoC draws 2 Watts at 1GHz
• Webinars explore RTOS-to-Linux driver migration
• Open phone goes robotic
• MontaVista touts Android readiness
• USB Linux key targets netbooks
• Via panel PC resists shock, liquids
• Linux provider touts support award
• World's smallest humanoid robot can run Linux
• Linux connects TVs to 'Net video
• Mot camera-phone runs widgets
More LinuxDevices news

Dev Shed

Powered By Dev Shed

Linux vs. Windows?

• in the enterprise
• in gadgets & devices

Linux conquers smartphones!

...read all about 'em

news feed

Home \| News \| Forum \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Forum \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.