by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 7, 2001
All Rights Reserved.

ishy circumstances and well-rehearsed lines cast doubt on Blake’s credibility trying to explain away his wife’s inexplicable murder. Found slumped over in the passenger seat of her husband’s Dodge Stealth, Hollywood wife Bonny Bakley—spouse of ex-TV star Robert Blake—bled copiously from a single bullet wound to her head: She was whacked. But before the body was loaded onto a gurney, the 67-year-old actor, well known for his childhood stints in “Our Gang” comedies, and more recently for his leading role in the ‘70s TV detective series “Baretta,” had already enlisted the services of celebrity criminal defense attorney Harland W. Braun. “He’s absolutely in a state of shock,” said Braun, alluding to Blake’s peculiar behavior following the discovery that his wife was shot. According to police accounts, Blake and his wife dined leisurely Friday evening at Vitellos, a familiar Studio City neighborhood haunt where the Italian-born actor frequently enjoyed pasta with spinach and marinara sauce.

       Parked on a tree-lined residential street, Blake apparently left the restaurant with his wife after dinner, walked to his car, opened the passenger’s door, and told her to wait while he returned to Vitellos to find his missing gun which, according to his attorney, “slipped out of his waistband.” Shortly thereafter, finding his wife bleeding from the head, Blake banged on the door of a neighbor, film director Sean Stanek. “You’ve gotta help me, you’ve gotta help me!” cried Blake, urging Standek to call 911. Stanek responded immediately, called 911, and then rushed to Blake’s car observing Bakley comatose and gasping for air. Joe Restivo, co-owner of Vitellos, told police that he didn’t see Blake return to the restaurant looking for his firearm, only coming back panic stricken after the shooting. “He said, ‘My wife, she got hurt or we got mugged or something . . . ‘ I said, you want me to call 911?’ He said he did so already,” observed Restivo, noting that Blake was agitated, and asking for a glass of water while recounting his ordeal. “The guy was nuts,” Restivo said, attesting to Blake’s confusion, agitation, panic—or skillful acting.

       While Blake is still regarded as a witness, the LAPD's playing its cards close to the vest. “At this point, he’s not considered an official suspect,” remarked LAPD spokesman Guillermo Campos. “When there’s a murder investigation, the people who last saw the victim alive are obviously questioned in detail,” said Campos, leaving the door open for exploring all possibilities. Making special effort to avoid fingering Blake, the LAPD is replaying the same game used during early phases of the Simpson-Goldman double murder case. They kept their hands off OJ early on, actually showing him undue deference and patience. Only after he returned from Chicago and the heat was turned up did they flash their cards and begin implicating Simpson—especially after the notorious low speed chase. Reminiscent of OJ, Blake already has a powerful criminal defense attorney speaking on his behalf. Like Simpson, truly innocent people have no trouble speaking openly without scripting from their attorneys. From the get-go, Blake’s attorney was filling in the details and controlling news reports.

       When Blake told Vitellos’ co-owner Joe Restivo, “My wife got hurt or we got mugged or something . . .” can you really attribute that firsthand report to shock and confusion? Braun’s contention that Blake returned to the restaurant to find his gun that accidentally “slipped out of his waistband” stretches credulity to the breaking point. It’s also not corroborated by Restivo who recalls Blake returning to Vitellos only after he discovered his wife’s shooting. Like Cochran’s Colombian “necktie” red herring, Braun explained that Blake held a permit to carry a concealed weapon and did so Friday night because Bakley was concerned about her safety. Braun also indicated that Blake keeps numerous guns at his Studio City home, preempting media reports that the actor owns a small arsenal. Introducing plausible explanations, Braun sprang into action, even whisking his client away from the throngs of reporters and media buzz to the hospital to manage Blake’s high blood pressure—taken together, a smart move to buy a little extra time while recalculating their options.

       Married for only two months, Blake and Bakley lived in separate quarters in his Studio City flat. Bakley recently gave birth to a baby girl originally believed sired by Christian Brando [the son of legendary actor Marlon Brando] but later found through DNA testing to have Blake’s markers. “Robert did the right thing,” said attorney Barry Felsen, referring to Blake’s shotgun marriage, even as Blake hired private investigators to check the background of his new spouse. Recent reports indicate that Blake’s daughter held physical custody of the child, suggesting that Bakley was either an unfit mother or in a bitter custody battle. With reports now circulated impugning Bakley’s character, a sinister back-story provides a plausible context to her unsolved murder. Arrested for drug possession in 1989, accused of pornography trafficking in 1991, and prosecuted for harboring fake IDs in 1997, Bakley had her scrapes with the law. How they factor into her mafia-style hit is anyone’s guess. What’s known is that she was shot in the head while she waited patiently for her husband’s return on a quiet street.

       Troubled marriages aren’t enough to establish convincing motives for homicide. Without evidence of forced entry or robbery, it’s clear that Bakley was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Stepping away from his car, Blake ostensibly returned “in shock” to find his wife hit like a sitting duck. During that brief window, what are the odds that a random murder could have taken place in a tucked away part of Studio City? While Blake’s not an “official suspect” yet, the LAPD's busy scouring his property for clues. Orchestrating all his moves, Blake’s attorney placed a firewall between himself and the media. Early police reports suggest that Blake left his car to return to the restaurant to find his missing handgun. Those reports haven’t been confirmed, suggesting, if nothing else, that he left the crime scene just long enough for his wife to get whacked. Telling Vitellos’ co-owner Joe Restivo “that his wife got shot or we got mugged or something . . .” doesn’t jibe with his attorney’s account of what went down. Like OJ, there are already plenty of nifty explanations, none of which seems to pass the test of common sense. While there’s no blood trail this time around, don’t be surprised to see fingers pointing toward the onetime TV detective.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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