New evidence has emerged, implicating TV tough guy Robert Blake in the murder of his money-grubbing wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. GLOBE has discovered damning testimonies, supported by recorded phone calls, indicating that Blake offered at least two hitmen $10,000 to kill his spouse. Bakley was found dead in a car, shot in the head, after the actor returned to a Los Angeles restaurant to retrieve his gun in May 2001.
Despite being acquitted of Bakley's murder in 2002, this new evidence paints a different picture. One lawyer stated, "There's no question Blake did it. He was hurt, angry, and humiliated – and he'd had enough!"
Two of Blake's friends testified that the Baretta star, who died on March 8th from heart failure at age 89, had asked for their help in eliminating his wife. Bakley, notorious for swindling lonely men by promising them steamy encounters in exchange for money, had a brief affair with Blake before marrying him in November 2000. The couple only tied the knot after a paternity test confirmed that their five-month-old daughter, Rose, was Blake's child.
Private investigator Paul Huebl acknowledged that many people wanted Bakley dead, but New York cop-turned-defense attorney Pete Gleason believes Blake's celebrity status allowed him to escape justice.
Prominent medical examiner and lawyer Cyril Wecht stated, "I was surprised when Robert Blake was acquitted in the criminal trial because there seemed to be a lot of good evidence against him, including two of his friends who testified he had asked them to help murder his wife."
Years after the trial, private investigator Scott Ross, who worked for Blake's defense team, claimed that while Blake might not have pulled the trigger, "he had everything to do with what happened. I do believe that he was involved."
The uncovered evidence includes taped phone calls between Blake and the hitmen he allegedly tried to hire to dispose of his wife. A source revealed, "He talks about how Bonny is ripping off men with mail-order scams revolving around sex. He says Bonny is milking him for money while ripping off other men."
Although Blake was cleared of criminal charges, he later lost a wrongful death civil case and was ordered to pay Bakley's children $30 million. He died penniless.