Crimes That Shook The Entertainment Industry: Robert Blake Arrest and trial for murder On May 4, 2001, Blake took Bakley for an Italian dinner at Vitellos Restaurant at 4349 Tujunga Avenue in Studio City. Afterward, Bakley was killed by a gunshot to the head while sitting in the car, which was parked on a side street around the corner from the restaurant. Blake claimed that he had returned to the restaurant to collect a gun which he had left there, and was not present when the shooting occurred. The gun that Blake claimed he had left in the restaurant was later determined not to have fired the shots that killed Bakley. On April 18, 2002, Blake was arrested and charged in connection with the murder of his wife. His longtime bodyguard, Earle Caldwell, was also arrested and charged with conspiracy in connection with murder. A key event that gave the LAPD the confidence to arrest Blake came when a retired stuntman, Ronald Duffy Hambleton, agreed to testify against him. Hambleton alleged that Blake tried to hire him to kill Bonnie Lee Bakley. Another retired stuntman and an associate of Hambletons, Gary McLarty, came forward with a similar story. According to author Miles Corwin, Hambleton agreed to testify against Blake only after being told he would be subject to a grand jury subpoena and a pending misdemeanor charge. Hambletons motives for testifying were called into question by Blakes defense team during the criminal trial. On April 22, 2002, Blake was charged with one count of murder with special circumstances, an offense eligible for the death penalty. He was also charged with two counts of solicitation of murder and one count of murder conspiracy. Blake pleaded not guilty to all charges. Caldwell was charged with a single count of murder conspiracy and also pleaded not guilty. Three days later, the Los Angeles District Attorneys office announced they would not seek the death penalty against Blake should he be convicted, but prosecutors would seek a sentence of life in prison without parole. After Blake posted US$1 million bail, Caldwell was released, but a judge denied bail for Blake. On March 13, 2003, after almost a year in jail, Blake was granted bail, which was set at US$1.5 million, and he was allowed to go free to await trial. Blake was placed on house arrest during this time. On Oct. 31, in a major reversal for the prosecution, the judge dismissed the conspiracy charge against Blake and Caldwell during a pre-trial hearing. The junior prosecutor who handled the case, Shellie Samuels, was interviewed by CBS reporter Peter Van Sant for the CBS program 48 Hours Investigates. During the interview, broadcast in November 2003, she admitted the prosecutors had no forensic evidence implicating Blake, could not tie him to the murder weapon, had no witnesses and had virtually nothing in the way of hard evidence. Murder trial and acquittal Blakes criminal trial for murder began on December 20, 2004, with opening statements by the prosecution and then the defense the following day. The prosecution contended that Blake intentionally murdered Bakley to free himself from a loveless marriage, while the defense challenged all of the evidence, claiming that Blake was an innocent victim of circumstantial and fabricated evidence. Prosecution testimony began with various witnesses detailing the night of the murder and the murder weapon used. Bakley was shot twice while sitting in the passenger side of the parked car and the passenger window was rolled down, indicating she may have been familiar with her assailant. The murder weapon was revealed to be a semi-automatic Walther P-38 pistol, which was found in a dumpster a few yards away from the parked car where the shooting took place. On February 7, 2005, Gary McLarty claimed that in March 2001, Blake attempted to contract him to murder his wife; McLarty allegedly declined. McLartys testimony was pulled apart under intense cross-examination, including a history of mental problems and his inability to remember any key details of the alleged contract offer. On February 9, testimony came from Ronald Duffy Hambleton, who also claimed that Blake tried to solicit him to murder his wife. His testimony was also called into question during cross-examination when his past criminal record of various petty crimes for drug and gun possession were made known. The prosecution rested its case on February 14. The defense began its case with a series of witnesses who poked holes in various parts of the prosecutions case, including relatives of Gary McLarty. On February 19, testimony was heard about the effects of chronic drug use on the mind—specifically, the minds of the two key prosecution witnesses, Ronald Duffy Hambleton and Gary McLarty, who were noted drug users during their stuntman careers. The lack of gunshot residue on Blakes hands was also a key part of the defenses case that Blake was not the shooter. Robert Blake chose not to testify. The defense rested its case on February 23, and after closing arguments were made on March 2–3, the jury retired to deliberate on March 4. On March 16, 2005, Blake was found not guilty of the murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley and of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder. The other count, the solicitation of Gary McLarty, was dropped after it was revealed that the jury was deadlocked 11–1 in favor of an acquittal. Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, commenting on this ruling, called Blake a miserable human being and the jurors incredibly stupid. Blakes defense team, led by attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach, and members of the jury responded that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. One trial analyst also agreed with the jurys verdict. On the night of his acquittal several fans celebrated at Blakes favorite haunt, Vitellos.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 17:58:22 +0000
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