Blake's Alleged Schemes
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Before allegedly gunning down his wife near an Italian restaurant on May 4, 2001, actor Robert Blake tried to enlist as many as five people to help him "whack," "pop" and "dispose of" Bonny Lee Bakley, say prosecutors. Here are the schemes he considered, according to witnesses testifying in his preliminary hearing in Van Nuys, Calif.:
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| Date of
Alleged Solicitation |
Alleged Scheme |
Witness |
| October 1999 |
WHACK HER
"We're going to hire a doctor, we're going to abort her, and if that doesn't work, we're going to whack her," Blake allegedly said, according to Welch's testimony. |
William Welch
Blake's private investigator |
| Late 1999 |
PLANT DRUGS
"He told me that he had some cocaine at the house and that he'd go over to her hotel and my LAPD buddies would swoop in and arrest her," Welch testified. |
| Late 1999 to Early 2000 |
TATTLETALE
Welch would contact
Bakley's Arkansas probation officer while she was in California violating the terms of her probation. |
| March 19, 2001 |
WHILE SHE SLEEPS
"He started showing me where one might come in at night and bump her off...He said go upstairs and pop her," McLarty testified. |
Gary
"Whiz Kid"
McLarty
Former "Baretta" stuntman |
| March 19, 2001 |
DOWN BY THE RIVER
Blake would take Bakley for a walk behind a casino in Laughin, Nev. "Someone could be waiting by the river," Blake allegedly said. |
| March 19, 2001 |
PIT STOP
On the way back from Laughlin, Nev., Blake would pull over to urinate, while someone in a following car could get out and whack Bakley. |
| March 19, 2001 |
DINNER, THEN DEATH
After dinner, Blake would escort Bakley to their car behind a restaurant, while the gunman crept up and shot her. |
| March 11, 2001 |
DEADLY DINNER PLANS
"One of the scenarios was she could be snuffed sitting in the car or when she first got out or when they got back from having dinner at the restaurant," Ronald "Duffy" Hambleton testified. Blake and Hambleton allegedly drove past Vitello's and discussed two nearby parking lots that could be used.
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Ronald "Duffy" Hambleton
Former "Baretta" stuntman |
| March 11, 2001 |
IN THE GUEST HOUSE
Blake wanted Hambleton to kill Bakley while she was in the guest house behind his Studio City home, either by sneaking up while she slept, faking a bungled robbery with violent consequences, or lying in wait for her to return home.
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| Late April, 2001 |
DOUBLE BURIAL
"He would have a friend that would dig some holes..." Blake allegedly wanted to kill Bakley in the desert and bury her body. But Hambleton worried about who was to fill the other hole.
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| March-April, 2001 |
ROAD TRIP
On a trip back from Arkansas, Blake said he would stop with Bakley at a motel, and phone Hambleton to rush in and make the hit. Blake also suggested that Hambleton himself drive to Arkansas to kill Bakley. |
| March-April, 2001 |
THE LAST VACATION
Blake mentioned Laughlin, Nevada, the Grand Canyon, and other sites as places where Hambleton could shoot Bakley.
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Actor Robert Blake, star of the 1970s television series "Baretta," is tried and acquitted for the murder of his wife of six months, Bonny Lee Bakley, who was shot and killed behind a Los Angeles restaurant.
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 Juror Questionnaire
This 32-page survey was used to pick the final 12 jurors
List of Charges
Read the murder charges against Robert Blake
Phone Call Transcript
In these telephone conversations secretly audiotaped by Bakley, she and Blake spar over her pregnancy
Bakley's Letters
Bakley urges Blake to marry her, demanding an engagement ring, saying only an impending marriage would cause her to give up Christian Brando
Bodyguard's List
This handwritten note lists items such as a crowbar and duct tape — shopping list or murderous checklist?
Wrongful Death Suit
Suit seeks unspecified damages for Bakley's four children from Blake and Caldwell
Custody Agreement
Bakley and Blake agreed to marry by Nov. 2000 -- but backing out would have meant losing custody
Death Penalty Decision
Prosecutors issued this statement announcing they would not seek the death penalty
Felony Complaint
This complaint charging Blake with murder reveals pieces of the police investigation
MORE DOCUMENTS
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