Is there really such a thing as a "geek defense"?

By Mark O’Neill

hansreiser A computer programmer is on trial accused of murdering his wife and the evidence against him is damning.   So his lawyer has uniquely resorted to what many have called "the geek defense".

So what is some of the evidence against computer programmer Hans Reiser that his lawyer dismisses as weird geek behavior?

  • He purchased two books on murder
  • He took no part in the search for his missing wife
  • He had removed the battery from his cell phone
  • The floor of his car was soaking wet as if it had just been cleaned
  • He had removed the front passenger seat of his car

So this has intrigued me to ask the geek readers of this blog – are the above actions typical of a geek?   Do you remove the battery from your cell phone on a regular basis?    Would you consider it normal for a geek to remove the front passenger seat from the car?   If you were a juror in the case, would you accept the "geek defense"?

* NOTE : the above Washington Post link requires free login to view the news article.  If you don’t have an account and you don’t want to register, you can bypass the login screen using BugMeNot.


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