# Robert Blake goes free **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887 "2005-03-16T23:19:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/1 "2005-03-16T23:19:19Z")
Yet another celebrity commits murder and [gets away with it](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/16cnd-blake.html?hp). It’s depressing what money and fame can be cashed in for in this country. ---
**Author:** ![mattmorgan64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@mattmorgan64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattmorgan64)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/2 "2005-03-16T23:27:48Z")
I gotta say I’m happy he walks. I don’t care if he did it or not; Baretta behing bars is just wrong. Hmmmm I wonder if any of the jurors felt that way. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/3 "2005-03-16T23:32:11Z")
The fuck? “I went to my car to get a gun, and found my wife inside, shot to death.” Bullshit. I thought nothing could surprise me after the OJ trial, but never say never. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/4 "2005-03-16T23:35:22Z")
The jury (the group selected to hear the evidence and then make a decision)found him not guilty. And to the OP. How do you _know_ he did it? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/5 "2005-03-16T23:51:42Z")
Let’s see: Nobody saw him do it, no blood or DNA evidence, the murder weapon couldn’t be traced to him. The prosecution’s case was built on the testimony of two former heavy drug users (unreliable) and circumstantial evidence (weak). How exactly was the jury supposed to find him guilty? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/6 "2005-03-17T00:23:50Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > The fuck? “I went to my car to get a gun, and found my wife inside, shot to death.” > > Bullshit. > > I thought nothing could surprise me after the OJ trial, but never say never. Still, the murder weapon was found, but the prosecution couldn’t connect it to Blake. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/7 "2005-03-17T00:49:49Z")
Based on what I’ve heard of the evidence, I agree with this verdict as well. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/8 "2005-03-17T01:12:00Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yet another celebrity commits murder and It’s depressing what money and fame can be cashed in for in this country. That’s nothing; I hear about this guy who started a war that killed tens of thousands of folks, and he got re-elected President. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/9 "2005-03-17T01:55:34Z")
Moving this from IMHO to The BBQ Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/10 "2005-03-17T02:05:13Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > That’s nothing; I hear about this guy who started a war that killed tens of thousands of folks, and he got re-elected President. Jesus, man! WE GET IT! You don’t like Bush. Message understood. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/11 "2005-03-17T02:09:08Z")
Yeah! If we still had proper lynch mobs, this would _never_ have happened. Motherfucking “fair trials,” and “due process.” Bullshit. [/sarcasm] ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/12 "2005-03-17T02:20:42Z")
Some commentator said He served a year in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Is that just par for the course? Just be happy you got off, too bad you were in jail Had they considered him a flight risk? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/13 "2005-03-17T02:22:27Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > Let’s see: Nobody saw him do it, no blood or DNA evidence, the murder weapon couldn’t be traced to him. The prosecution’s case was built on the testimony of two former heavy drug users (unreliable) and circumstantial evidence (weak). How exactly was the jury supposed to find him guilty? Slight nitpick: DNA, last time I checked Law & Order, is circumstantial evidence as well. DNA is not weak, unless you get him to crash with viral RNA in nitro dorms. :dubious: Back to the OP: You know what this means, right? A brand new, sad generation of never-ending Leno jokes. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/14 "2005-03-17T02:33:54Z")
> [@The Hook](#): > > Slight nitpick: DNA, last time I checked Law & Order, is circumstantial evidence as well. DNA is not weak, unless you get him to crash with viral RNA in nitro dorms. I think it’s pretty clear he meant the particular circumstantial evidence in this was weak. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/15 "2005-03-17T02:36:12Z")
… in this **case** was weak. Not DNA evidence in general. The DNA evidence in this case apparently only proved he was the father of the victim’s daughter - that only goes to help establish motive. It’s not like they found her blood all over his pants. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/16 "2005-03-17T02:37:53Z")
It’s not that they found him innocent, but that they were unable to find him guilty, right? From what I noticed, his story sounded fishy, but the evidence just didn’t come together in such a way the jury could be absolutely sure. Better that 1000 guilty men go free than one innocent man be imprisoned, and all that. I just don’t like the idea of a jury saying ‘well we’ve got no real proof, but ya look guilty.’ ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/17 "2005-03-17T02:44:43Z")
I’ve heard a lot of commentary about Bonnie and some of her dealings with scamming and fraud and it seems a lot of people view Blake as having done society a favor. Anyone know of her and what she’s supposed to have done? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/18 "2005-03-17T03:01:03Z")
**duffer** , I recall reading that she ran cons in ‘swingers’ magazines, acting like she was a single girl interested in meeting guys, but scamming the desparate (and gullible) guys into sending her money (“I need help paying my mother’s medical bills”, etc.) I also heard she was a low-rent star-fucker, trying to get any male celebrity with a pulse to knock her up. She named her baby by Blake after Jerry Lee Lewis, apparently not being sure whose it was. If this is true, I think the world may be better off without her. But I don’t believe we should exonerate her killer, or anyone else who kills worthless people. But then again, since I once read that the evidence against Blake was much stronger than seems to be agreed upon now, maybe you should treat everything I’ve said here with a grain of salt, since I’ve learned it from this crappy media we depend on. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/19 "2005-03-17T03:10:55Z")
> [@F. U. Shakespeare](#): > > **duffer** , I recall reading that she ran cons in ‘swingers’ magazines, acting like she was a single girl interested in meeting guys, but scamming the desparate (and gullible) guys into sending her money (“I need help paying my mother’s medical bills”, etc.). I believe this is one reason the prosecution couldn’t rely on the “well who _else_ would have had a motive to kill her, other than the defendant?” tactic. In fact, there were a fair number of people out there who, shall we say, did not carry kind thoughts about her. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887/20 "2005-03-17T03:26:17Z")
The moral of this story: Be famous, and pick your victims wisely. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-blake-goes-free/294887.md?page=2)