Table of Contents
For Laura and our growing love
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project, my first published book, would not have been possible but for the generous assistance of many people. Many who had followed the Reiser case on my blog at www.sfgate.com/ZBLS had long told me, You should write a book! My stock response would almost invariably be a lame, Just print out the blog! (I still, of course, would invite interested readers to check it out.)
For suggesting the blog in the first place, I must thank Ken Conner, then metro editor, for assuming that this technophobe knew how to blog in the first place. Trapper Byrne gamely posted my first few posts, which I had sent over by e-mail from my laptop in court. But as my dispatches grew longer and more detailed, he became overwhelmed with all the coding that was involved, on top of his regular editing duties. One day early in the trial, Byrne sent me an e-mail that said simply, Mercy. So I pleaded with my blog-savvy colleague, Marisa Lagos, for some emergency training. That did the trick. Thanks, guys. And hats off, too, to current metro editor Audrey Cooper, who posts things with lightning speed.
The blog not only was a mirror of the trial, it also served as a conduit that enabled the jury to hear testimony from at least one key witness. Dr. Peter Koltai, who had performed Rorys adenoidectomy, read my blog and had information relevant to the case. Even though Koltais name had surfaced during the initial police investigation, he had not yet been contacted by the prosecution. At his request, I forwarded his contact info to the DAs office, and Koltai appeared as a witness in the trial.
Naturally, the blog served as a basis for the book, as well as more than nine-thousand pages of investigative material, consisting of police notes and interviews and crime-scene diagrams. I attended every court session in the case and reviewed Alameda County court transcripts from the preliminary hearing and the trial, and federal and state court records, and I conducted numerous interviews in person and over the phone. Conversations and events were also constructed through videos, audio recordings, letters and e-mails.
To my friends at the Chronicle who lent their support and constructive guidance: Erin Allday, who deserves special mention for her insightful suggestions; Demian Bulwa, Christopher Heredia, Carolyn Jones, Matthai Kuruvila, Meredith May and Rick Romagosa.
To my fellow authors who showed me this was possible: Claire Booth, Josh Davis, Stephen Elliott, Monte Francis, Paul LaRosa, Don Lattin and Lisa Sweetingham. A heartfelt thank-you to Carol Pogash for her positive feedback and constant affirmation.
To my fellow partners in crime: Vicki Behringer, Kristin Bender, Jamie Colby, Joshua Davis, Jason Dearen, Kraig Debro, Samantha Del Priore, Eric Frick, Jodi Hernandez, Gayane Keshishyan, David Kravets, Michelle Locke, Joan Lynch, Bob Melrose, Chris Metinko, Michelle Meyers, Norman Quebedeau, Paul Rosynsky, Jeff Shuttleworth, Greta Van Susteren and Alan Wang.
To all the legal analysts who provided commentary: Michael Cardoza, Steve Clark, Jay Gaskill and Dean Johnson.
My appreciation also extends to Y. K. and Carrie Tsai and Vanessa Vee Kuemmerle.
Had it not been for my agent, Jeff Gerecke, of the Gina Maccoby Literary Agency, contacting me out of the blue one day, this work would not have been published. Thank you, Jeff, for demystifying this whole process for me.
I am honored to be working with Thomas Colgan, executive editor at The Berkley Publishing Group; editorial assistant Niti Bagchi; production editor Stacy Edwards and copyeditor extraordinaire Eloise Kinney. Many thanks to John Pelosi, of Pelosi Wolf Effron & Spates in New York, for vetting the manuscript.
Greg Dolge, Paul Hora, Tom Orloff and Tom Rogers at the Alameda County DAs office were very generous with their time.
William Du Bois and Richard Tamor told me over sushi the challenges of being Hanss attorneys. Daniel Horowitz also provided key details.
Mark McGothigan invited me into his home and showed me many of his Burning Man projects and videos. Sean Sturgeon met with me a number of times to provide his perspective. Anthony Zografos, Shelley Gordon and Peggy Hora took time to chat with me.
Larry Goodman is one of the most personable judges I know, and his openness to the mediamuch less his decision to allow laptops and PDAs in his courtroommade reporting on this case much easier. His clerk, Fil Cruz, and court reporter Annie Mendiola made it all effortless. Patty and Katie Goodman are a delight to be around. I was also fortunate to receive help from the many clerks at the criminal division at Alameda County Superior Court.
There are too many members of the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to publicly thank and mention, but Howard Jordan, who is now assistant chief, gave the green light for OPDs cooperation with this book. Personnel from the homicide and communications sections, the youth and family services division and the Targeted Enforcement Task Force patiently answered my questions. Public information officers Roland Holmgren and Jeff Thomason deserve special credit for taking time to discuss the case and to facilitate interviewsall while dealing with a number of other high-profile investigations and department tragedies at the same time.
Alameda County sheriffs sergeant J. D. Nelson and deputies gave me informative walking tours of the Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility and Santa Rita Jail and explained the booking process.
I also want to thank members of the California Department of Justices Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the FBI for their help.
I am grateful for the assistance of Holly Forbes at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, who taught me not to judge a tree by its cover. Jan Null at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate Weather Services provided invaluable meteorological data. Andrew Aldens primer on the geology of the Oakland hills was fascinating; his ruminations about the landslide near my house were absolutely frightful. Pilots Rodrigo von Conta and Christopher Freeze lent their aviation expertise to this hapless Flight Simulator user.
CNN producer Robert Ade and photojournalist Jeff King graciously spent time obtaining a screen grab from the video of me chasing Hans.
To my buddies in the O.C., Steve and Beth Eppley, Travis Pfahler and Roman Kavianian.
I would not have been able to accomplish this without the love and support of my family. My parents, J. J. and Maureen Lee, had always urged me to write a book. My sister, Brenda Lee, gave me great suggestions, as did Frank and Bonnie Blair. I am especially grateful for the help of my wife, Laura Blair, without whom this book could not have been written. Laura, you are my inspiration and my light.
FOREWORD
In my eighteen years as a crime reporter in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have written about gang shootings, horrific traffic accidents and all manner of incidents that have irreparably changedor claimed the lives ofthe young and the old, the rich and the poor, hardworking citizens and drug offenders, police officers and criminals. I chronicle the heartbreak and pain, telling stories of the horrible things that people do to each other. Why do I do this? This answer is simple, and it comes in the form of these fundamental questions: What would it mean for society if these crimes were just swept under the rug? What if nobody cared? What if victims werent given a voice, an opportunitysometimes from beyond the graveto be heard?
