John and Linda’s relationship has become central to the hearing that will help a judge determine whether Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, the German fabulist known around Boston as Clark Rockefeller, should stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in John’s death.
In a strategy to shift the focus away from Gerhartsreiter, his lawyers have tried to highlight any tension in the marriage, even hinting that it was Linda who killed the computer programmer, not their client.
Gerhartsreiter has been accused of bludgeoning John Sohus, 27, to death and burying his remains, which were discovered in 1994.
There has been no trace of Linda Sohus since 1985.
Over the first three days of the hearing, the prosecution has called witness after witness to testify that the couple was affectionate and never argued. Prosecutor Habib Balian has repeatedly shown pictures of their wedding day - Linda beaming as she fed her husband cake; Linda laughing as her husband posed with her veil on his head. The images help complete the prosecutors’ narrative that no one but Gerhartsreiter had a reason to kill John Sohus.
At first, John’s mother, Didi Sohus, told police that the couple was not missing but had been sent away on a secret mission to Paris.
But that scenario seemed unlikely. John Sohus was worried that if he left his mother alone, there would be no one to take care of her, Rayermann said.
For him to vanish without a word made no sense, Rayermann said.
“John was reliable, faultlessly reliable,’’ he said. “I don’t recall [the couple] talking about striking out on their own on a business venture or going off in any sense other than a honeymoon.’’
The couple, who shared a love for science fiction, married on Halloween night in 1983. The chemistry between them was palpable, said Mari Mountjoy, a friend of Linda’s who has attended every day of the hearing.
“They were two young people so in love,’’ Mountjoy said during an interview. “Made [me] kind of jealous. They had it instantly.’’
