Reunited with his wife

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife, died Thursday at age 89.

A statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.

Blake, star of the 1970s TV show, "Baretta," had once hoped for a comeback, but he never recovered from the long ordeal which began with the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, outside a Studio City restaurant on May 4, 2001. The story of their strange marriage, the child it produced and its violent end was a Hollywood tragedy played out in court.

Once hailed as among the finest actors of his generation, Blake became better known as the center of a real-life murder trial, a story more bizarre than any in which he acted. Many remembered him not as the rugged, dark-haired star of “Baretta,” but as a spectral, white-haired murder defendant.

In a 2002 interview with The Associated Press while he was jailed awaiting trial, he bemoaned the change in his status with his fans nationwide: "It hurt because America is the only family I had."

He was adamant that he had not killed his wife and a jury ultimately acquitted him. But a civil jury would find him liable for her death and order him to pay Bakley's family $30 million, a judgment which sent him into bankruptcy. The daughter he and Bakley had together, Rose Lenore, was raised by other relatives and went for years without seeing Blake, until they spoke in 2019. She would tell People magazine that she called him “Robert,” not “Dad.”

It was an ignominious finale for a life lived in the spotlight from childhood. As a youngster, he starred in the "Our Gang" comedies and acted in a movie classic, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." As an adult, he was praised for his portrayal of real-life murderer Perry Smith in the movie of Truman Capote's true crime best seller "In Cold Blood."

Horace

I will await more information before judging. Until then, best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

Rainman

??

Catseye3

So did he kill her?

I have a very vague memory of not finding any reference anywhere as to motive. If he killed her, why? I finally reluctantly decided it was a 'if there's smoke there's fire' kind of deal.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@Catseye3

=-=-=-=-=-=

In 1999, Blake met Bonny Lee Bakley, formerly of Wharton, New Jersey, who had already been married nine times and reportedly had a history of exploiting older men, especially celebrities, for money. She was dating Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando, during her relationship with Blake. Bakley became pregnant and told both Brando and Blake that her baby was theirs. Initially, Bakley named the baby "Christian Shannon Brando" and stated that Brando was the father.[19] Bakley wrote letters describing her dubious motives to Blake. Blake insisted that she take a DNA test to prove the paternity. Blake became Bakley's tenth husband on November 19, 2000, after DNA tests proved that Blake was the biological father of her child, who was renamed Rosie. Blake remained married to Bakley until she was murdered on May 4, 2001.

...

Blake's criminal trial for murder began on December 20, 2004, with opening statements by the prosecution and opening statements by the defense the following day. The prosecution contended that Blake intentionally murdered Bakley to free himself from a loveless marriage, while the defense claimed that Blake was an innocent victim of circumstantial and fabricated evidence. McLarty and Hambleton each testified that Blake had asked them to murder Bakley. On cross-examination, the defense brought up McLarty's mental health problems and Hambleton's criminal history. The lack of gunshot residue on Blake's hands was a key part of the defense's case that Blake was not the shooter. Blake chose not to testify.[30]

On March 16, 2005, Blake was found not guilty of murder and not guilty of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder. The other count, for solicitation to commit murder, was dropped after it was revealed that the jury was deadlocked 11–1 in favor of an acquittal. Los Angeles District Attorney Stephen Cooley, commenting on this ruling, called Blake "a miserable human being" and the jurors "incredibly stupid" to fall for the defense's claims.[31][32] Public opinion regarding the verdict was mixed, with some feeling that Blake was guilty, though many felt that there was not enough evidence to convict him.

....

Bakley's three children filed a civil suit against Blake, asserting that he was responsible for their mother's death. During the trial, the girlfriend of Blake's co-defendant Earle Caldwell said she believed Blake and Caldwell were involved in the crime.[35]

On November 18, 2005, a jury found Blake liable for the wrongful death of his wife and ordered him to pay $30 million.[36] On February 3, 2006, Blake filed for bankruptcy.

Blake's attorney, M. Gerald Schwartzbach, appealed the court's decision on February 28, 2007.[37] On April 26, 2008, an appeals court upheld the civil case verdict, but cut Blake's penalty assessment to $15 million.

Aftermath

Blake maintained a low profile after his acquittal and filing for bankruptcy, with debts of $3 million for unpaid legal fees as well as state and federal taxes. On April 9, 2010, the state of California filed a tax lien against Blake for $1,110,878 in unpaid back taxes.

On July 16, 2012, Blake was interviewed on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight. When asked about the night of Bakley's murder, Blake became defensive and angry, stating he resented Morgan's questioning and felt he was being interrogated. Morgan responded he was only asking questions that he felt people were eager to have answered.

In January 2019, Blake was interviewed by 20/20. Initially he seemed to decline the interview and instead delegated it to a friend, but then began to participate, discussing the murder and the behavior of the police officers who dealt with him, the culture of Hollywood and its reaction to the event, and his early life and difficulties with his parents.

Jolly

Regardless, I'm not keen on the wrongful death suits after criminal trials. To me, it's too much like two bites at the apple.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@Jolly said in Reunited with his wife:

Regardless, I'm not keen on the wrongful death suits after criminal trials. To me, it's too much like two bites at the apple.

I was going to say the same thing. Rules of evidence are different, as is the standard of "guilt."

jon-nyc

@George-K

Blake insisted that she take a DNA test to prove the paternity. Blake became Bakley's tenth husband on November 19, 2000, after DNA tests proved that Blake was the biological father of her child, who was renamed Rosie.

Maybe shoulda been a red flag…

Catseye3

Just from this content, Blake seemed kind of crazy. Not that that proves anything -- but the prosecution's contention was weak. FFS, any court in the land would've granted Blake a divorce from that crazy woman, no need to kill her. And there was the lack of GSR. Seems like 'reasonable doubt' was not an unreasonable finding.

There's more probably, but memory fails.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@Catseye3 said in Reunited with his wife:

And there was the lack of GSR

Somewhere, and I can't remember where, I read/heard that the presence or absence of GSR is becoming less and less of a factor in trials.

Doctor Phibes

He managed to sit through an entire interview with Piers Morgan without shooting either Piers or himself, so he clearly had some degree of self-control.