Doctor Convicted in 1985 Missing Body Case

N E W  Y O R K, Oct. 24 -- Dr. Robert Bierenbaum, a plastic surgeon who wascharged with killing his wife 15 years ago and dropping her bodyinto the ocean from an airplane, was convicted today ofsecond-degree murder.

Bierenbaum, 44, clasped his hands in front of him and loweredhis head when the verdict was read by the jury forewoman inManhattan State Supreme Court.

Bierenbaum, currently a resident of Grand Forks, N.D., faces amaximum term of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentencedNov. 20 by Justice Leslie Crocker Snyder.

His wife, Gail Katz-Bierenbaum, 29, vanished on July 7, 1985.Her body was never recovered, and the prosecution’s case was basedmainly on circumstantial evidence.

Relief and SorrowWhen the verdict was read, the victim’s sister, Alayne Katz ofIrvington, N.Y., burst into tears and slumped over the leg of herbrother, Steven, shaking and sobbing.

“I’m very relieved,” said Alayne Katz. “I’ve waited a very,very long time for this day. I heard the cuffs close round hishands. I’ve waited for that sound a long time.”

The jury got the case on Monday.

Bierenbaum had been out on $500,000 bail. After the verdict,Snyder ordered him jailed to await sentencing.

‘Proactive and Reactive Lies’During the trial, defense lawyer David Lewis denounced theprosecution’s murder theory as guesswork since there are noeyewitnesses or physical evidence in the death of Katz-Bierenbaum.Lewis said Katz-Bierenbaum is probably dead, but he stated thatnobody knows how or why.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel Bibb said in his summationthat Bierenbaum told “proactive” and “reactive” lies, dependingon whether he was speaking before or after someone asked aboutKatz-Bierenbaum.

Bibb said one lie was that after Katz-Bierenbaum disappeared, aprivate investigator told the cosmetic surgeon that his wife was awaitress at a seaside resort in California.