The Late Mrs. Blake—Mysteriouser and Mysteriouser

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The latest press release on the shooting of Robert Blake’s wife. The whole story gets odder and odder with each new detail:

"LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actor Robert Blake’s wife, who was shot to death in their car, had a criminal history and any number of people could have “had it in for her,” his lawyer said. Blake’s wife, identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office as Bonny Lee Bakley, 45, was shot late Friday as she sat in a car near an Italian restaurant in Studio City where she and Blake had eaten dinner.

The couple married late last year after DNA tests showed Blake, star of the '70s television show “Baretta,” was the father of her baby daughter, born last June. She lived in a unit behind Blake’s home, Braun said, but the couple’s relationship was improving. Bakley had been on probation after being convicted in her home state of Arkansas of carrying a fake ID. Braun said the couple had signed a prenuptial agreement before their marriage earlier this year that stated Bakley couldn’t engage in any criminal activity.

Blake, 67, left a hospital on Sunday where he had sought treatment for high blood pressure, Braun said. “He’s doing fine and has it under control,” he said. Police said Blake was not a suspect. “He was interviewed like any witness would be interviewed, but he wasn’t questioned,” Lt. Don Hartwell told reporters. “He’s a witness at this time.” Police recovered two 9 mm handguns and seized phone records and other paperwork from Blake’s house during a Saturday search, Braun said. Police have interviewed Blake twice since the shooting, Braun added.

Bakley was shot once in the head while her husband returned to the restaurant to retrieve a handgun he had left behind. Blake had been carrying the gun because his wife feared for her life, Braun said. It was unclear who or what she was afraid of, he added.

Bakley originally believed her 11-month-old daughter, Rose, was fathered by Christian Brando, the son of actor Marlon Brando, but tests showed she was Blake’s. The younger Brando pleaded guilty in 1990 to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his sister’s boyfriend. When he announced the engagement in October, Blake said, “We’ll just take off somewhere and get hitched. I’m not much for frills.” The baby was placed in the care of Blake’s relatives."

—Hmmmm . . . Any theories from you Armchair Detectives?

2

I found it interesting that in my local newspaper it was reported that the woman’s name was Bonny Lee Bakley, age 45, but that Blake’s lawyer stated that her name was Leebonny Bakley and that she was 44.

They’re all a bunch of freaks. I’m going to put my money on the hired hitman scenario…Blake hires the guy because he’s tired of having her around but doesn’t want to lose everything in a divorce. He is “conveniently” out of the car for a few minutes allowing the hitman to move in. He makes it seem likely that she’d have someone after her by spreading the story about why he has his gun well before the actual murder. He emphasizes this fact by making the “necessary” gun the actual reason that he wasn’t around.

I read too many mysteries.

3

[horshack voice on] Oooo -oooooooo-oooooooooo [/horshack voice]

What really, really really strikes me as odd is the scenario: Blake and wife exit restaurant, he leaves her in the car, goes back in the restaurant to 'grab gun which slipped out of it’s spot (how likely is that BTW), goes back to the car, finds her dead, and instead of going back to the restaurant, where he knows people are around and there’s phones etc, he goes to a neighbor across the street??? where he’ll have to wait til they answer the door??? I mean why not dash back into the restaurant screaming call 911???

Yea, it all seems to convenient to me. (and I called the Susan Smith deal the first time I saw her tearfully beg for her boys back … My SO thought I was cold hearted, for a few days)

4

Curiouser and Curiouser Blake hires private investigator

5

I read recently that the CA courts had upheld the civil judgement against O.J. Simpson - he’d probably do it for a very reasonable price.

Of course, I haven’t heard anything about Huggy Bear in awhile, so he may have also needed the cash.

6

Strange indeed. You don’t leave a pistol behind in a restaurant. It’s in a holster or a pocket. I can’t see Blake pulling it out and laying it on the seat beside him.

Strange too is the Christian Brando connection. Brando served 5 years of a 10-year sentence for manslaughter after he pleaded guilty to shooting the Tahitian boyfriend of his half-sister, Cheyenne.

7

No, no, no! Huggy Bear was on Starsky & Hutch, Rooster was on Baretta. The former was portrayed by the late Antonio Fargas, the latter by the alive, healthy and working Michael D. Roberts.

Clearly I didn’t do nearly enough drugs in the 70s to remember all this.

8

I’m with wring and jcgmoi. He had the gun for protection…why the heck did he “accidentally” leave it in the restaurant? Seems a little strange to me. If I had a gun for protection, it would be in the holster on my body.

My paper didn’t cover the Christian Brando angle, but did mention that Ms. Bakley had been convicted (or maybe just accused?) of many mail-order “lonely hearts” scams in which she was getting money from men all over the country. Supposedly she had stopped.

9

[Smug]
Me, too. Just looking at her, I knew she had killed those poor kids.
[Smug]

Great minds think alike, wring! :wink:

10

Kinsey :smiley:

11

From the CNN article linked above:

Oh yeah, that sounds like the act of an innocent man…

I will be following this story with interest. So far, Blake’s story seems to have more holes than a colander. Let’s hope he doesn’t exhaust himself looking for the real killer like some other famous widower…

12

Creepy!

Robert Blake’s birth name (from the IMDB) is:

Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi

an anagram of which is:

Ace Jim! O J Simbson guilt I achieve!

And both of their middle names are James.

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Ace Jim! I achieve O J Simbson guilt!

14

My paper (Chicago Sun-Times) said that as well. Maybe one of the names was a nickname or a stage name? (Was his late wife an actress?)

I had a weird feeling about the situation ever since I first read about it. And it just keeps getting more interesting…

15

anyone else notice, too, that the info re: victim’s past has all seemed to come from Mr. Blakes attorney (who was there, what, within 15 seconds?)

Smearing the victim before anyone has a chance to feel sorry that she was murdered? harumph.

16

ACE JIM? Well, where was Jim “Ace Ventura” Carrey at the time? :D.

17

trose: Ah! I used to have a crush on Rooster!

It was also reported that she thought her child was Christian Brando’s, but had a test and found it was Robert’s, which is why he married her, supposedly.

He used to be married to a fine actress, Sondra Blake.

It does seem weird though, about going back in for the gun.
If she was thought to be in danger, why not send Her back in?

18

or more to the point vanilla don’t leave it in the restaurant. **OR BOTH ** go back in, etc etc etc. and again, why instead of going back to the restaurant to get help do we run some where else where we’d have to wait for them to answer a door (if they’re home) etc???

19

Well, her brother has already come out and said in public that he thinks Robert Blake killed her.

And wouldn’t it have been safer to send HER into the restaurant for the “gun,” rather than leaving her alone and unprotected in the car?

. . . Of course, it’ll turn out the poor guy is totally innocent and leave US red-faced . . .

20

Not a chance.

I wasn’t ready to believe that OJ did it until the DNA tests came back – I really thought he was getting a raw deal.

This guy? Everything smells to high heaven.

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.