Slashdot Mirror
Hans Reiser in Court Today
An anonymous reader writes "Hans Reiser has pled not guilty to murdering his wife and invoked his right to a speedy trial. He will attend a hearing today where the judge will decide if the state has a case " We had covered this story back when it had first broke; and for those of you playing catch-up, Hans is the author of ReiserFS.
I'm sure you'll find that our good friend Hans has no record of this ever taking place.
He didn't directly kill her... He was trying to explain why reiserfs was better than ext4 and her head exploded.
See, there's no reason to fear abandonment of the Reiser FS if this dude gets locked up.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
In memoriam: James Kim, CNET senior editor, 1971 - 2006 (Flash Video)
Wikipedia Entry
Kiteboarding Gear Mention slashdot and get 10% off!
I don't know about the rest of the Slashdotters here, but I have 3 kids. Hans has 2, who are in Protective Services right now (not a great place for the kids to be).
Key point about the kids from TFA:
(emphasis added)Nina's boyfriend Sean Sturgeon allegedly practices BDSM, raped Nina, engages in "death yoga", made death threats against Hans, cheated with a married woman, and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Hans Reiser:
h tml
http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_256204954.
Hans Reiser, on the other hand, is a linux developer.
Guess which one the cops arrested and which one isn't even a suspect?
That he tried to delete the evidence from his computer, but unfortunately he was using a journaling file system.
Personally I like the fact that national media leaves a lot of local stories uncovered. It gives the accused a chance to have an unbiased jury, though a change of venue may be required. If they're cleared, the minimal media slam means they can rebuild elsewhere after the page 2 apologies fails to change the minds of those who "know" they're guilty.
Papparatzi chasing famous people while they make fools of themselves in public is one thing. That same mentality destroying careers on the basis of accusation instead of conviction is not what "freedom of speech" was ever about.
Canadian courts typically restrict publication from the initial hearing onwards. The only time you see further information is if the defense is making preliminary statements about their planned approach, especially if they expect to raise constitutional or human rights issues. That serves to warn the bar that there may be a precedence case coming up.
I hope the accusations turn out false, but Hans' infamous temper isn't going to help him with this argument.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
You guys are lucky! Here in the UK they Government/Police can keep trying again and again until they get the result they want.
That's to make up for the fact that digg ran about five stories a day on him, not counting dupes.
I'm the guy with the unpopular opinion
Lemme guess... You're a Digg reader? If so, go away. Yes the James Kim story was very tragic and I feel very much for the family. But based on the idiotic level of commentary that popped up on Digg regarding the story, I think it's better than Slashdot DIDN'T cover the story. Why? Because we'd be getting retards like you trying to use it to make points about god knows what. There were too many people on Digg who spent time talking about how THEY would have NEVER done X, Y, and Z and their families would have been home by dinner time with fresh bear meat. I'm sorry, but taking nature survival classes, knowing how to hunt, or experience on a farm will NOT save you in the situation that James Kim was in. Think about it. He had no idea if help was coming, so he ventured out hoping that he'd be able to make some headway. He TRIED. He probably did it because he didn't want to come off like he didn't know what to do to his family. He wanted to make an effort rather than just sitting there twiddling his thumbs hoping for help that may never come. To be honest, no matter how you look at it, he succeeded in saving his family. He at least knew enough to NOT take his family with him and risk their lives too. And you know what? THEY'RE ALIVE thanks to that decision. He had a 50/50 chance no matter how you look at it and he made the best decision he could under that kind of pressure. So basically, I think all Digg readers should fuck off.
Regarding Reiser, as much as it pains me, I think I have accepted that unless they can really clear him of the picture painted by the circumstantial evidence, he's up shit creek. If he did kill her, then he deserves it. A lot of arrogant geeks seem to think they are godlike and that they can get away with anything. It's possible that he fits that standard mold to a T. If he didn't do it, then his side had damn well better find proof because that's what it's going to take at this point. The speedy trial thing actually has me worried. While it's something that I believe everyone should be guaranteed, I also know that it's possible that with the right lawyer he could get away with murder on a technicality. That would not be right, but it's not like it hasn't happened before. Crimes of passion can be quite ugly and I think they do throw the perpetrators mentally out of whack for life. If he did do it, he's certainly got internal demons that will follow him for all the days of his life. Sadly, based on his biography, I'd say he seems to be a perfect fit for the type of arrogant geek who thinks they can get away with anything as long as they plan it well enough. That kind of geek needs to be knocked down the entire set of ladder rungs and then have their face ground into the dirt and through the other side of the planet. Maybe then their overinflated egos will be right sized to a humble enough level. Note that I feel I can say this because I AM a geek and I do believe I have limitations which I happily accept.
I mean, seriously, anyone who's ever touched Reiser knows that there are things that go missing from time to time, but sometimes they reemerge without you doing anything whatsoever. Maybe they should just sit there and wait, maybe rearrange a few pieces of furniture and I bet she'll suddenly and mysteriously appear in the middle of the living room.
Yes, I do agree, we need a "tasteless" tag.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Reiser's wife probrably wasn't as attractive as Laci Peterson. The media only showcases good looking victims.
Other factors:
Laci was pregnant. Laci went missing on Christmas Eve (I believe). Laci had a lot of friends and a large family, all of whom coordinated a media blitz.
He's a guy who apparently owned neither a GPS NOR a 406 EPIRB.
They weren't out hiking in the wilderness as I understand it. They drove down a closed seasonal road by mistake and got stuck.
Do you carry an EPIRB in your car? I know that I don't.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
I also know that it's possible that with the right lawyer he could get away with murder on a technicality. That would not be right, but it's not like it hasn't happened before.
Those technicalities that everybody hates so much are what keeps our Government in line. If the police screw up and overstep a warrant or "forget" to Mirandize a suspect then that evidence should be thrown out.
If defendants couldn't win on "technicalities" then what incentive does the Government have to follow the rules?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
It'll be called IFIDIDITFS.
Mr. T pitied this fool on 27 July 1992.
They'll just start hurding all of us coders into 'state correctional institions'
Gods, that'd be even worse!
sic transit gloria mundi
OJ didn't get off on a technicality, he got off on a gullible jury and an outmatched prosecutor.
er, ALL of the points seem to be hearsay from the article. All were claims by Hans, and nothing was reported to substantiate those claims.
I'm sure the police would have looked at her current love interest, and apparently they didn't find cause to suspect him as much as Reiser.
Luckily you know you've got decades to avoid that particular fate...
Well, in Finland we don't throw "illegal" evidence out of court. Instead we just punish the person(s) who did this illegal activity. This keeps the government, or representatives of that government, following the rules and doesn't allow criminals to get free on technicality. Ofcourse this just might be a scandinavian thing as we generally don't think that our governments require any extra effort to keep them in line, they seem to do quite well on their own.
- Raynet --> .
I wasn't serious when I wrote "Who is James Kim". I just made the point that to the Slashdot geeks, Hans Reiser is more known than James Kim. The complaint was why doesn't Slashdot cover the James Kim story -- well it was already covered pretty well by the media.Slashdot isn't CNN, that is why you don't see news about Palestine and Iraq here unless they have to do with technology. Kim wasn't directly involved with creating technology, just writing on it, so somehow that doesn't interest the nerds as much. If it is not interesting for the nerds, it has no place on Slashdot.
"We had covered this story back when it had first broke; "
More HAD please !!!
(and more cowbell)
music lover since 1969
Not quite true. Firstly, this only applies to England and Wales. Scotland still has the "no double jeopardy" rule. Secondly, the state can try once for a second trial, but only if evidence which could not have been available at the initial trial is available. ISTR that permission from the House of Lords is needed to even launch another trial - and the HoL will refuse if the evidence is not the sort which would have radically altered the original outcome if not challenged. Also, I think that the offences covered for this sort of double jeopardy must be the most serious type (murder, rape, etc.)
I can't say I really approve of it (equality of arms, and all that), but then, we don't have the death penalty, so it's not like a defendant appeal couldn't be launched. The first conviction under these rules was for someone who had been acquitted and then confessed publicly to the murder [although even a freely given confession doesn't necessarily count as new evidence!]
The block who 'fessed up pleaded guilty at the second trial. See here for more details.
--Ng
No, ultimately, his biggest mistake was to try to get across the Coast Range on Forest Service roads in November. This is stupid whether you have GPS or not. In Oregon, you stick to main roads in winter unless (a) you know the area very well or (b) you have a very urgent reason to be on those roads. And you sure as hell don't drive them at night if you can avoid it.
That is all.
Son: Now that you mention it, I may have.
Police: Did they tell you you stay in the basement?
Son: Now that you mention it, they may have.
Police: Good. Now what else can you tell us without us influencing your answers in any way?
Police: (to themselves) we better not mention anything about Sean Sturgeon else we might have to investigate a person we have not already decided did it
news article:
(emphasis added)
"Nina Reiser was last seen at her husband's home on Exeter Drive in the Oakland hills on Sept. 3, when she dropped off the couple's children. She failed to meet her best friend at her house later that evening, authorities said.
Nina Reiser's 2001 Honda Odyssey minivan, with groceries inside, was found Sept. 9 in the city's Thornhill neighborhood. Neighbors first spotted the parked minivan Sept. 5, the day she was supposed to pick up her children at school, police said."
The minivan was 'spotted' Sept 5th? But 'found' on Sept 9th? Groceries inside? When did the reciept show the groceries were purchased? Before she dropped the kids off or after? If it was after, something is fishy. Grocery store surveilance cameras?
Hmmmmmm.
Just my two cents worth.
Even if you forgot your compass, you can always do this trick if you've got an analogue watch:
This works in the Northern Hemisphere.
Take the watch off your wrist and hold it horizontally.
Point the hour hand at the sun.
Halfway between that and 12 is South.
It's not accurate to one degree, but for getting un-lost, it's close enough.
--
BMO
Dude, that's not Russian Women.
That's ALL women.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
With a heart of ice and a head of solid granite, Dvorak is like +20 against cold. He'd just stumble out of the mountains months later with an implausible story about finding Apple's secret underground research facility (where they're developing the top-secret "Vista Ready" iMac) and how RMS, Google's black helicopters, and a troop of Mac fanboyscouts conspired to kill him...
0 1 - just my two bits
According to this article, Hans Reiser had to pay $8,000 in alimony a month to Nina. Nina was getting $96,000 a year for not working!
I don't condone any killing, legal or not, but if she had indeed cheated on him before their divorce and then got that kind of money, it's easy to see how the feeling of having been so completely beaten by someone he loved could have made him desperate.
Something seems broken with California's alimony law.
And only on /. can this be modded +3, Insightful.
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?