Body identified as convicted programmer's wife

OAKLAND, California (AP) -- Police have confirmed that a body software programmer Hans Reiser led them to is that of the estranged wife he is convicted of killing.

Prosecutor Paul Hora said Tuesday that Reiser's revelation was part of a proposed deal that would reduce his conviction from first- to second-degree murder. That deal still needs to be approved by a judge.

Reiser led police Monday to remains buried not far from his home in the Oakland hills. Authorities say they were able to identify the body as Nina Reiser's through dental records, jewelry and clothing.

A jury found him guilty of murder in April. But until this week, it wasn't clear what happened to the 31-year-old woman.

The abrupt about-face came just two days before 44-year-old Hans Reiser was due in court to face sentencing.

The discovery late Monday afternoon came after Reiser, handcuffed to another of his attorneys, William Du Bois, led police through Redwood Regional Park, defense attorney Richard Tamor said.

CNN affiliate KTVU reported that Reiser admitted strangling his wife.

The body was found in a grave about 4 feet by 4 feet, Tamor said. Reiser did not have difficulty locating the spot, the attorney said: "He went right to it." Watch police search for a body »

Tamor described Reiser's demeanor as "pensive, as anybody would be."

The ravine where the body was recovered was less than a mile from the house where Hans Reiser lived with his mother. The house is where Nina Reiser, 31, was last seen alive on September 3, 2006, when she dropped off the couple's two children for a visit with their father.

In the weeks after Nina Reiser's disappearance, police led cadaver dogs into the hills where the body was recovered. Volunteers combed the area at the time and posted signs seeking information about the missing woman, who was active in a local Russian Orthodox church.

At the scene where the body was found, helicopters buzzed overhead Monday evening and a small knot of people from the neighborhood stood looking on. Longtime resident Michael Arboleda said the discovery was "shocking, to say the least."

Neighbors said they were disturbed by the thought that a body had lain in the hills all these months.

"I take my children walking down this path here almost every day," Arboleda said.

Reiser, known in programming circles for his ReiserFS file system, testified for several days in the six month trial. He asserted his innocence in often rambling answers and was scolded by the judge for arguing with the prosecutor.

Defense attorneys argued during the trial that there was no direct evidence linking their client to Nina Reiser's disappearance and suggested the woman might be living in Europe.

Prosecutors contended the circumstantial evidence against Reiser was strong: The two were involved in a bitter custody dispute, traces of her blood were found in his home and car and witnesses testified she would never have left her children.

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