Bio

Hans Thomas Reiser was born on December 19, 1963, in California. His parents were Ramon Reiser and Beverly Palmer. Hans had a troubled childhood and grew up in a challenging family environment. He showed early academic promise but struggled with traditional schooling. He dropped out of junior high school before he turned 14 years old due to disagreements with the education system.

Despite leaving school early, Hans was accepted at the University of California, Berkeley when he was just 15. He attended the university sporadically, working on a unique degree he created, called Systematizing, which focused on subjects like physics and mathematics. After many years of studying, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 at the age of 28.

During his time at Berkeley, Hans became involved in the tech community and was a founding member of the Open Computing Facility. After finishing his degree, he chose not to pursue a Ph.D., stating that he had similar issues with continuing his education as he had with junior high. Instead, he worked in various computer jobs and founded his own company, Namesys Inc., which specialized in software development.

Hans was recognized as an important figure in the tech world. He developed ReiserFS and Reiser4, journaled computer file systems used in many Linux distributions. During his career, he worked for several notable companies, including IBM Research and Synopsys.

In 1998, while he was working in Russia, Hans married Nina Sharanova, a Russian-born doctor. They met through a dating service, where Nina was there to help translate for another person. They had two children together but faced many difficulties in their marriage. They separated in May 2004, and Nina later filed for divorce. Their marriage issues led to legal battles concerning custody and restraining orders.

Hans's life took a significant turn after Nina went missing in September 2006, leading to a high-profile legal case. His background as a computer programmer and his troubled relationship with Nina would later play a role in the events that unfolded.

Murder Story

On September 3, 2006, Nina Reiser was last seen dropping off her two children with her husband, Hans Reiser, at his mother's house. She was reported missing two days later, on September 5. Her minivan was discovered on September 9, parked in Oakland, California, with groceries still inside. Neighbors reported seeing Hans cleaning something in his driveway shortly after Nina disappeared.

During the investigation, police became suspicious of Hans Reiser. They found blood splatters in his house and car, though DNA testing could not confirm if it belonged to Nina. They also discovered that a passenger seat from his car was missing. Hans had recently bought books on homicide investigations just days after Nina's disappearance, which raised further concerns.

On October 10, 2006, Hans Reiser was arrested and charged with murder. Throughout the following months, forensic evidence and police surveillance indicated his involvement. In December 2006, during a preliminary hearing, it was revealed that blood matching Nina's DNA was found in Hans's car, although some evidence was deemed inconclusive.

Hans maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. His trial begins on November 6, 2007, where prosecutors argued that he intentionally murdered Nina. On April 28, 2008, he was found guilty of first-degree murder. Following a plea bargain, he agreed to reveal the location of Nina's remains in exchange for a guilty plea to second-degree murder.

On July 7, 2008, Hans led police to a site in the Oakland hills, where Nina's body was found. She was identified the next day. On August 29, 2008, Hans was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and began serving his sentence at San Quentin State Prison. Efforts to appeal his conviction were unsuccessful.