Hollywood & Crime - The Execution of Bonny Lee | The Trial Begins | 6

Episode Date: October 12, 2024

Almost a year after Bonny’s murder, Detective Ito finally arrests Robert Blake. Blake pulls off a surprise move to have his side of the story told. The defense discovers a potential bombshell witness. The prosecution begins their case by painting Blake as a cold blooded killer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The execution of Bonnie Lee Bakley contains depictions of violence and some strong language. Bonnie Lee Bakley's lifelong pursuit of fame ended at a Hollywood Hills cemetery on a cool, clear Los Angeles morning. Ironically, it lasted just 15 minutes. It was May 25, 2001, 21 days since Bonnie's murder. Her family wanted to bury her in New Jersey, but Robert Blake fought them. He said he wanted their daughter

to be able to visit her mother's grave while she was growing up. Bonnie's family refused to attend. Her sister Marjorie told the press, I didn't feel I ought to stand next to the man I believe strongly killed my sister. Blake was the first to arrive. He stepped out of a dark SUV carrying his and Bonnie's baby. He wore a navy suit and striped tie.

His hair was dyed black, styled high in the front. It blew back in the breeze as he strode across the lawn to the gravesite. About a dozen people joined Blake under a green canopy. His adult children, a few of his friends, his lawyers, and the priest. None of them knew Bonnie. People stood quietly. There was almost no sound, just the soft clicks of news photographers snapping pictures as the pallbearers carried her casket. It was polished rosewood with brass fittings. On top was a huge bouquet of white roses. A Catholic priest began the service.

He spoke a few general words about Bonnie. When he finished, Blake handed Rosie to his oldest daughter, Delina. He placed one hand on Bonnie's casket. Then he spoke. It's because of Bonnie that Rosie was born. It was her will, her conviction, not mine. Her dedication that brought Rosie into this world. And for that, I thank God.

And I thank Bonnie. When Blake was done, he sat down on a white folding chair, and the priest recited the Lord's Prayer. And that was it. The group of mourners headed back to their cars. Blake remained at the gravesite alone. The casket was lowered into the ground, gently depositing Bonnie into her final resting spot. It wasn't a bad view.

The Hollywood Hills in the distance, and just below her, the Warner Brothers lot. Bonnie would have approved. She might have appreciated that she would be spending eternity in the company of some Hollywood greats. Lucille Ball, Buster Keaton, Betty Davis, and Liberace were all buried there. Blake paid for the funeral, and he picked the words for her gravestone, In Loving Memory, Rest in Peace. Inscribed below it read, Bonnie Lee Bakley Blake.

She finally got what she wanted. Bonnie was the wife of a Hollywood star. You're listening to the first episode of Murder in Hollywoodland. To continue the journey, you can binge episodes 2 through 7 exclusively with Wondery+. Start your free trial today in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. They say Hollywood is where dreams are made. A seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored, and capture America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off, fame, fortune, and lives can disappear in an instant. Follow Hollywood and Crime, The Cotton Club Murder

on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. From Wondery, I'm Tracy Patton, along with my co-host, Josh Lucas. And this is Hollywood and Crime, the execution of Bonnie Lee Bakley. In our last episode, Blake took Bonnie on a honeymoon road trip. But Bonnie suspected Blake's itinerary included a shallow grave. Even so, she returned with him to L.A. and moved into his guest house.

Then, Detective Ito convinced retired stuntman Duffy Hamilton to testify that Blake solicited him to kill Bonnie. The discovery of a calling card Blake used to communicate with Duffy shows he was trying to cover his tracks. Ido hopes they'll add up to a conviction in court. This is episode six, The Trial Begins. The trial begins. It's April 18th, 2002. Detective Ron Edo is leading a convoy of unmarked cars up the 101 freeway toward Hidden Hills. It's been 350 days since Bonnie Lee Bagley was murdered. In a few minutes, Ido will arrest his prime suspect, Robert Blake. Their destination is a million-dollar mansion owned by Blake's daughter, Delina. Blake's been

living here because the gated community affords him some privacy. That's about to change. Another team of detectives are also on their way to arrest Blake's handyman and bodyguard, Earl Caldwell. He'll be charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Half of L.A. sees the takedown as it happens. The police planned it that way. They timed Blake's arrest so it would be carried live on the 6 o'clock news

and alerted the media ahead of time. They called Blake's attorney to let him know they were coming. And downtown, Police Chief Bernard Parks is waiting to hold a post-arrest press conference. It's not just big news for Ito and his team, but for the whole department.

In the last year, the LAPD compiled 900 pieces of evidence, did more than 150 interviews, and racked up a record travel budget. All told, it's the most expensive investigation in LAPD history to date. As Ito's lead car drives through the gates of Hidden Hills, reporters on the street shout out questions. When they pull up to the mansion, Blake is sitting in a lounge chair on the porch. He's wearing a baggy sweatshirt and a green Snoopy hat pulled down over his eyes.

It's the first time Ido has been face-to-face with Blake since the night of Bonnie's murder. Blake turns around so Ido can cuff him. He leads Blake to his cruiser and helps him into the back seat. Ido and Detective Tindall get in the front. Then the convoy leaves Hidden Hills for downtown. Blake stares out the window, quietly watching the looky-loos on the side of the road. Then he clears his throat.

I've been waiting for this for a year. Ido has too. But this is just the first step. Ido got his man. Now it's up to the prosecution to prove the case to a jury. to a jury. On February 17th, 2003, Robert Blake shuffles down a corridor in the Los Angeles County Jail. His hands are cuffed behind his back, and a guard is on either side of him. His orange jumpsuit is the smallest they have, and it's still two sizes too big.

He spent the last ten months in isolation, in the same concrete cell where O.J. Simpson was held. Celebrities are often put in isolation because they're targets, but being alone day in and day out has been torture for Blake. His hair has gone shock white. He's not able to work out. And he's lost 20 pounds. Reading is tough.

He's dyslexic. There's nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. He lays on his two-by-four cot, wondering if he'll ever get his life back. If Blake doesn't do something, this is where he will die. He needs to change the public's opinion, elicit sympathy for his plight, show the world he's not some monster. And today, he'll get his chance.

He's doing a primetime television interview. It's a move that cost him his lawyer. Harlan Braun was adamant that Blake steer clear of the court of public opinion. When Blake refused, he quit. His new lawyer, Tom Mesereau, also thinks talking to the press is a big mistake. But Blake ignored his advice. He's got to tell his side of the story. The interview will air the night before Blake's preliminary hearing. That's when the judge will determine if there's enough evidence for him to stand trial. The hearing will be televised. The prosecution will spend days painting him as a cold-blooded killer,

and he won't be able to say a word about it. But now, at least, America will hear from him first. The guards escort him into the visitor's area. There are lights, cameras, and a small crew. At the center of the action is the grand dame of TV interviews, Barbara Walters. The guard unlocks his handcuffs. When Barbara shakes his hand, his voice cracks. I'm glad to see you. Hi.

I'm okay. Good. I'm going to sit here, and you're going to sit there. And we're going to have to put a microphone on you. Blake sits while the sound man puts a mic on him. Then the cameras roll, and the interview begins. Walter speaks softly, like she's talking to an old friend. Robert, you've been in jail now for almost a year.

How are you doing? I'm, uh... In this place, it's real simple. It's not how you're doing. You're alive or you're dead. All the stuff in the middle doesn't really exist too much. You wake up in the morning, you win. If you don't wake up, you win. Walters walks him through the night of Bonnie's murder, their dinner at Vitello's, Blake going back to get his gun.

And then discovering Bonnie. When you came back to the car and found your wife shot to death, what did you think? What did you feel? Blake furrows his brow, starts to speak, then checks himself. God, I wish I could answer you. He grimaces, says it again. God, I wish I could answer you. God, I wish I could answer you. Robert, are you innocent? Of course. Of course I'm innocent. Of course I'm innocent.

But Barbara has another question. What if you are found guilty? What are they going to do to me? What are they going to do to me that they haven't done already? They took away my entire past. They took away my entire future. They took away everything I saved for. They took away everything I believed in.

What's left for them to take? You're going to take my testicles and make earrings out of them? Walters also gives Blake the opportunity to speak directly to his baby girl. And he turns soft. What do you most want her to know? Talk now to Rosie. There is something in me and something in every person, including you, Rosie, that's special, that's a gift from God. Blake doesn't know if his interview changed anyone's mind.

But in this moment, there's only one person whose opinion matters. Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash. Blake's preliminary hearing begins the day after his interview airs. The prosecution calls 20 witnesses, including stuntmen Gary McLarty and Duffy Hamilton. The defense argues there are no eyewitnesses and no direct evidence. After nine days, the judge announces his verdict. Robert Blake had the time, the opportunity, and the motive to murder Bonnie. He will stand trial along with Earl Caldwell.

It's a victory for Detective Ito, the LAPD, and the DA's office. Before the court adjourns, Blake's lawyer makes a last-minute plea. You would not be violating the law or the spirit of the law if you were to grant reasonable bail to Mr. Blake based on what you've heard in this hearing. And I submit it would be the right thing to do. It would be the humane thing to do. And there is support for it. Earl Caldwell has been out for months. Blake paid his bail, paid for his lawyer too, but the DA has argued that Blake should remain locked up. Now it's up to the judge, but no one, least of all Blake, expects him to be released on bail. He's charged with murder.

I am going to set bail at a million and a half dollars. Blake looks shocked. Then his eyes tear up. He'll be on house arrest and have to wear an ankle bracelet. But he's not complaining. It beats a concrete box. Diane Mattson walks through a gauntlet of reporters in front of the Van Nuys Superior Courthouse. By the time she steps into the lobby, she's shaking. The Blake trial doesn't start for seven months, but today is a pre-trial hearing,

and she's a potential bombshell witness for the defense. In a pre-trial hearing, both sides present evidence and the judge decides what will be allowed in the actual trial. It's also where a lawyer can ask for special procedures. That's why she's here. Thomas Mesereau, who is Blake's lawyer, has asked that Mattson be allowed to testify via videotape because she's afraid to testify in open court. Mattson was Christian Brando's caretaker. She told the cops he was with her on the night of Bonnie's murder. That part was true, but she didn't say anything about a conversation she overheard two months before Bonnie was killed.

Brando was on speakerphone with three other men. He was ranting about Bonnie. That was nothing unusual. But then the conversation got ugly. Brando said, someone ought to put a bullet in that bitch's head. And the others agreed. She knew one of the voices, a retired stuntman named Jerry Lee Petty. He and Brando talked once or twice a week.

The second voice was hard to understand. Brando asked Petty what was wrong with him. Petty said the guy was on meth and didn't have his front teeth. She didn't recognize the third voice until a few months ago when she heard a clip from Blake's preliminary hearing. A man named Duffy Hambleton said Blake tried to hire him to kill Bonnie. Duffy was also the name of one of the guys on the call. Mattson remembered him because it was her nickname as a kid, and his voice on the TV clip sounded exactly like the guy on the call, low and raspy. She could have kept quiet, but what if Blake was innocent

and Brando was the guilty party? She tried calling homicide special and left several detailed messages, but they never called her back. So she called Blake's attorney. He was very interested. Now the judge will decide whether she has to testify in open court, and she's having second thoughts. Madsen's worried Brando and his family will retaliate. She's seen his hair-trigger temper and his violent behavior firsthand. When she gets inside, the courtroom is packed with press, too. She takes her seat toward the back and waits. Her fate is in the hands of the lawyers. Thomas Mesereau stands in front of Judge Shemp and waits for his turn to speak. He has a full head of long white hair that touches his shoulders and wears wire-rimmed glasses.

He's Blake's second lawyer, and it hasn't been an easy run. His client has opinions about everything and regularly questions his approach. But they agree that Mattson coming forward is a huge break. Her testimony throws doubt on Blake's guilt, and it gives a credible alternate theory on who might have been involved in Bonnie's murder. Now he just has to get the judge to let her testify on videotape rather than in person. The prosecuting attorney is indignant. He tells the judge special procedures are reserved for terminally ill witnesses,

and there's no reason to give special treatment to a witness with dubious testimony at best. After a brief back-and-forth with the lawyers, the judge sides with the DA. Diane will have to testify in open court so that the jury can judge her credibility for themselves. Mezzaro may have lost this battle, but he still has Mat Matson as his witness.

Even so, as he prepares for trial, a new problem emerges, his client. Blake is a micromanager, constantly questioning the attorney's strategy. He's making it hard for Mesereau to do his job. Then he gets news about Diane Mattson's testimony. On February 3rd, the judge rules on a series of pre-trial motions. She decides Mattson won't be heard at all, citing credibility issues. The press reports no other details. It's a blow for the defense. It's a blow for the defense. There goes their star witness.

Three days later, Mesereau is out too. He quits, citing irreconcilable differences with Blake. Once again, Blake is without a lawyer, and the trial is postponed until February 24th. The judge tells Blake she hopes he has a new lawyer by then. stand. Choose to join the world every morning with Up First, a podcast that hands you everything going on across the globe and down the street, all in 15 minutes or less. Start your day informed and anew with Up First by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. You don't believe in ghosts? I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either until I came face to face with them. Until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life.

I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness. And inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons, and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada, as we journey through terrifying and bone-chilling stories of the unexplained. Search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Gerald Schwartzbach is visiting his cousin in Palm Desert, California when he gets the call. It's February 2004. Robert Blake is in desperate need of a lawyer.

Schwartzbach is known for taking on do-gooder causes. 60s radicals, the disadvantaged, those who have the deck stacked against them. He isn't a Hollywood guy, but he knows the case. Everyone in the country does. He also knows Blake is difficult. At least that's what the press says. One lawyer after the next had left the case in frustration. Schwartzbach is nervous, but also intrigued.

Intrigued because he likes working on controversial cases, especially when a man's life is on the line. Nervous because he knows he will be in for a mountain of paperwork. Police reports, witness statements, transcripts, late nights and weeks away from his family. But he agrees to meet with Blake a few days later. He's surprised how frail he looks, almost broken. He's lost everything, his house, his reputation, any future work. Robert Blake is a Hollywood pariah. But Schwartzbach doesn't hold that against him.

After talking to him for nearly four hours, Schwartzbach makes up his mind. He thinks Robert Blake is innocent. He'll take the case. Over the next few weeks, he dives into the paperwork. One thing is crystal clear to Schwarzbach. The case against Blake is built entirely on circumstantial evidence. There are two sketchy witnesses, both with histories of drug use. No one has ever placed Blake with the gun. From Schwarzbach's view, it looks like the LAPD only did a cursory search for other potential suspects.

They needed a fall guy, and Blake was it. Schwartzbach is encouraged to see the charges against Earl Caldwell had been dropped. Blake's handyman-slash-bodyguard was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to try him. More proof that the DA was overzealous. The first thing Schwartzbach does is get the trial postponed. Then he pulls together a team to call through hundreds of pieces of evidence. If Blake is innocent, that means someone else killed Bonnie.

Someone who had reason to be angry with her. Christian Brando is at the top of the list. Diane Mattson told a compelling story that connected Brando to a stuntman named Duffy Hamilton. But the police interviewed Brando after Diane came forward, and he claimed he didn't know Duffy at all. Schwarzbach is suspicious. Why would Brando deny knowing Duffy unless it implicated him in some way?

Schwartzbach needs to connect the dots. Brian Allen Feeblecorn is aware of the media circus surrounding the Blake trial. He lives just a few miles from Blake's house, so it literally hit close to home. But he hadn't followed the news enough to have an opinion about Blake's guilt. That changed when he ran into a neighbor one afternoon in April 2004. The neighbor asked him if he'd ever talked to the cops. April 2004. The neighbor asked him if he'd ever talked to the cops. They'd been in the area about nine months back asking about a guy who used to live across the street named Jerry Lee Petty.

She told them to talk to Feeblecorn since he's friendly with everyone on the block. But the police hadn't contacted him, which seemed odd because he knows a lot about Petty and the guys he ran with. Around the time of the Bakley murder, he witnessed a series of disturbing but seemingly unconnected events. Now he wonders if they might be connected after all. That night, he keeps thinking about what he knows and decides to reach out to the LAPD himself. he knows and decides to reach out to the LAPD himself. He meets with three detectives and tells them everything he knows. It takes him nearly 90 minutes to get through it all, but the cops don't appear very interested. The lead, Detective Ito, seems almost irritated from his point of view. After they leave, Feeblecorn is even more convinced that what he saw links up to the Robert

Blake case. What if the cops have the wrong guy? He boots up his computer and heads to a message board on the Court TV website. That's when he sees two photos, Duffy Hamilton, and then another photo of a Walther P-38 gun, the weapon that murdered Bonnie Lee Bakley. Both look familiar. He takes a breath, creates a fake screen name, and starts posting what he knows. Gerald Schwarzbach sits across from Brian Feeblecorn, trying to get his head around what he's hearing. Next to him, his PI takes notes.

Tell me more about Jerry Lee Petty. How do you know him? Schwartzbach and his team have been working on the case night and day. His private investigator found Feeblecorn through court TV message boards. He was using the name Apollo, the Greek god of light and prophecy. In person, he was a very credible witness. He's a general manager of a big car dealership and a staunch supporter of the LAPD. His boss is a former member of the police commission, as is the company's VP. Feeblecorn attends LAPD functions and raises money for their causes.

He also knows a lot about Jerry Lee Petty. He tells Schwartzbach that Petty lived on his block back in 2001. Petty seemed successful enough. He'd been a stuntman, had a bunch of rental properties around the area, but he also had a dark side. Petty hung out with a rough crowd, had transients coming in and out of his house, most of them meth users. Feeble Corn believes in extending a helping hand to folks who are down and out. He got to know a few of Petty's crew, in extending a helping hand to folks who were down and out. He got to know a few of Petty's crew, including a guy named Mark Jones.

Jones was a tall, skinny meth addict with no front teeth. Feeblecorn paid him to work on an old Lincoln he was restoring. He takes a sip of water and continues his story. One day, he and Jones were talking when a pickup drove by. Feeblecorn saw a familiar face in the passenger window. Jones told him it was Christian Brando. He says the neighbor saw Brando around too. Schwartzbach glances at his PI.

Puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place. Then Feeblecorn tells him that one of the transients started carrying a gun in his waistband, an antique that looked a lot like a Walther P38. This was a couple weeks before Bonnie's murder. Then, a couple weeks after she died, another transient from Petty's crowd asked Feeblecorn if he could cash a check for $10,000. Where would a homeless guy get that kind of money? And he seemed nervous, said it was for something really heavy. Schwartzbach jot something down and then looks up at Feeblecorn. Did you ever see Duffy Hambleton in the neighborhood? Feeblecorn nods.

Oh yeah, a few times. When I saw his photo on the website, I started putting two and two together. A lot of coincidences, you know? Schwartzbach nods. He thinks so too. So you ever talked to Homicide? Yeah, about a month ago. A detective named Ito and two others, they took a statement, but I didn't see them take many notes. Schwartzbach sits up. He's never seen a transcript for this interview. Why would the prosecution withhold critical evidence like this? So where is Jerry Petty now? I'd like to talk to him.

He killed himself a couple months before Bakley died. Very weird. He crawled into his sleeping bag, shut the garage, and turned on the car. What about Jones, the homeless guy? He killed himself too. About a month after the murder. He seemed depressed. He wouldn't say about what.

He actually did it in my car. Schwartzbach's head is spinning. But one thing is clear. Between the meth connection, the gun, the mysterious check, and the unexplained deaths, it looks like Duffy and Brando have something to hide. Maybe a lot to hide. Schwartzbach starts working on a motion to introduce evidence of third-party culpability with the court. According to the law, third-party culpability doesn't need to show substantial proof of

a third person committing the crime. It only needs to raise doubt about Robert Blake's guilt. Over the next four months, he sends his team into the field to interview people who knew Duffy, Brando, and Petty. The more he hears, the more he's convinced that others were involved in the murder of Bonnie Lee Bagley, and Duffy played a big role. In October, he files the motion with the court. It begins. This motion will be made on

the grounds that newly discovered evidence implicates star prosecution witness Ronald Duffy Hamilton in a conspiracy to murder Bonnie Lee Bakley, receiving its impetus from Christian Brando's comments that someone should put a bullet through Ms. Bakley's head. Following that is a 60-page document with statements from more than a dozen witnesses. There are multiple people who said Duffy had a gun that resembled the murder weapon, including Duffy's son. A former roommate said Duffy offered him money to kill Bakley and later told him he found someone else to do the job, but he fucked it up. Several people claim a man in a truck was watching Blake's house.

There are two interviews with Diane Mattson. Brian Feeblecorn's statement is also included. The motion ends with these words. For all of the foregoing reasons, defendant Robert Blake respectfully requests this court to permit him to introduce third-party culpability evidence pertaining to Ronald Duffy Hamilton, Christian Brando, Mark Jones, and others who may have been involved in a conspiracy to kill the victim. But the jury will never hear any of this evidence. Judge Darlene Schimpf denies the motion, stating that she found no link, direct or circumstantial, with Mr. Brando.

The trial will begin in two months. They say Hollywood is where dreams are made. A seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored, and capture America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off, fame, fortune, and lives can disappear in an instant. When TV producer Roy Radin was found dead in a canyon near L.A. in 1983, there were many questions surrounding his death.

The last person seen with him was Laney Jacobs, a seductive cocaine dealer who desperately wanted to be part of the Hollywood elite. Together, they were trying to break into the movie industry. But things took a dark turn when a million dollars worth of cocaine and cash went missing. From Wondery comes a new season of the hit show Hollywood and Crime, The Cotton Club Murder. Follow Hollywood and Crime, The Cotton Club Murder on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can binge all episodes of The Cotton Club Murder early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Robert Blake's murder trial opens to a packed house at the Van Nuys Superior Court. It's five days before Christmas, but Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Shelley Samuels isn't celebrating yet. Today, she's slated to deliver her opening remarks for the biggest celebrity murder trial since O.J. Simpson, the people of the state of California versus Robert Blake. Blake sits at the defense table next to his attorney, wearing a black suit and a somber expression. This trial will determine how he'll spend the rest of his life, as a free man or in prison. Samuels intends to convince the jury that Blake is guilty of murder. She's well-suited for the job. The firebrand prosecutor has 25 years of courtroom experience. She's won 48 out of 49 homicide trials.

If she wins this one, it will be one of the high points of her career. If she loses, it has the potential to tarnish the reputation of both the DA's office and the LAPD. Samuels watches the jury file in. The seven men and five women were selected from a pool of more than a thousand. Her goal was to seek people who were able to overlook Bonnie Bakley's unsavory past. During the selection process, she asked questions like, If you really thought Bonnie was a scuzz, could you still convict Blake of killing her? The right answer was yes. Her biggest hurdle

is to get the jury to see that Blake had opportunity, motive, and means, which won't be easy. Her case is built entirely on circumstantial evidence. In other words, there's no smoking gun. In her opening statement, she tells the jury Blake despised Bonnie and he hated her family, saw them as low-life trailer trash who conned people out of their money. She says their marriage was a sham, but once Bonnie got pregnant, the two were connected. They shared a baby. She gestures to make her point. The prosecution will establish that the victim was killed because the defendant wanted sole custody of their child

and wanted the baby away from her mother and her mother's family. Samuel's promises damning testimony from three men who Blake solicited to murder Bonnie. When they refused, Blake decided to do it himself, but he messed up. On the night of the murder, Blake told police he left Bakley alone in a car to get his handgun at the restaurant where they had just dined. But no one at Vitello's saw him return. He didn't go back to the restaurant, she tells the jury. He couldn't. Shooting somebody in real life is a lot more traumatic than shooting somebody in the movies. His acting ability failed him that night. She tells the jury the prosecution will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert Blake is guilty of killing Bonnie Lee Bakley.

Most opening statements can go on for hours. Shelley Samuels is done in 90 minutes. Defense attorney Gerald Schwartzbach knows that a circumstantial case is like a chain. Each link must connect so that the jury is led to the desired conclusion. His plan is to dismantle the prosecution's chain of evidence, link by link. That's something he's good at. He's known for his exhaustive research and for always being well-prepared. Unlike Shelley Samuels, he's soft-spoken and methodical.

With his round glasses and trademark bow tie, he looks like he would be comfortable in an Ivy League faculty lounge. He walks to the jury box and begins his opening statement, speaking in a low and deliberate voice. He doesn't deny the marriage between Blake and Bonnie was loveless, but, he tells the jury, that didn't mean Blake murdered his wife.

He says he will show that there is no evidence, direct or circumstantial, that he shot Bakley. Next, he attacks the LAPD. He contends they decided they had their killer on the first night and never bothered to look further. They overlooked other suspects in their narrow-minded pursuit of Robert Blake. And he'll prove the two stuntmen who Blake tried to hire as hitmen were lying drug addicts. But most importantly, without any science to back up the murder charge, the case against Robert Blake falls apart. Unlike Samuels, Schwartzbach is counting on science to prove his case.

He's selected jurors he believes are smart enough to sift through technical data. He's going to present hours of testimony on a key element in the case, gunshot residue. The jurors will need patience as well to sit through hours of scientific explanation. Schwartzbach pours over every minute detail he'll be presenting. Samuels tries to rattle him by shouting out objections. She repeatedly asks him to speak up. Schwartzbach remains unruffled. It takes him the rest of the day and into the next morning to complete his opening statement.

Robert Blake, he contends, is innocent of the murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley. Murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley. Shelly Samuels is going to tell the jury a story. A story that started with a one-night stand and ended with murder. She begins with Bonnie's last meal at Blake's favorite restaurant, Vitello's. She calls a series of witnesses who state Blake seemed nervous from the moment he got to the restaurant, twisting his hair and making faces. He even got up to use the restroom and vomited in the men's room. After Blake paid the check, he and Bonnie went back to the car. The next time anyone saw him was when he was banging on Sean Stanek's door,

telling him to call 911. She plays the tape for the jury. She's 45 years old. She's conscious. Get an ambulance. She's conscious. Is she conscious, Robert? No.

She's not conscious. She's breathing. Stanek tells the court while he was on the phone, Blake ran off leaving Stanek alone with a dying Bonnie. Are you okay, ma'am? Okay. Are you okay? She's breathing.

She is breathing. Okay. You got something clean and dry to control it until we get there? Is the other gentleman still there to report it? It's Robert Blake's wife. Okay, is he still there? When Blake came back, he sat on the curb with his head in his hands. He never went to Bonnie to comfort her. And three witnesses who were at the scene, including Stanek,

said they saw him cry, but he never shed actual tears. Cops who were called to the scene also testified Blake was acting strange. When they got him back to the station to take his statement, one had to inform him Bonnie didn't make it. She was dead. Samuels asks how Blake reacted. He backed himself up in his chair and let out a boisterous cry, the detective says. He put his hands to his head. I noticed he didn't have any tears. It didn't seem like a sincere cry.

The prosecution's point is clear. Blake was putting on a performance, but he didn't fool anyone. Juries always want to see the crime scene. Usually the closest they get are pictures. But the Blake jury is traveling to Studio City to see firsthand where Bonnie's killing took place. The judge tags along, wearing a suit instead of her black robe. Even Robert Blake is there. He avoids eye contact and stands off to the side. His face is grim. First stop is Vitello's, where Bonnie had her last meal with Blake.

Jurors stare solemnly at table number 42, where the couple sat and Bonnie ordered ravioli and iced tea. Then they peek in the bathroom, where witnesses testified Blake threw up his dinner. Outside the restaurant, authorities have done their best to create the scene exactly as it was, save for the news helicopters circling overhead. A 1991 Dodge Stealth, the same make and model of Blake's, is parked in the same spot. The exact dumpster where the murder weapon was found is also there. Jurors walk around the car as if trying to imagine different angles the shooter might have pointed the gun others pause at different spots where witnesses indicated they were that night Blake speaks with no one

and seems almost invisible like he's a ghost of the past The day after the crime scene viewing, Samuels calls Rod Englert to the stand. Englert is a crime scene reconstructionist. He graduated from the FBI National Academy and has conducted hundreds of training seminars. Today, Englert is testifying about blood spatter. He spent years studying and testing how blood behaves.

If Blake was the shooter, the jury might assume at least some blood spatter would end up on his clothes. Englert testifies they did a luminol test on Blake's T-shirt, jeans, boots, socks, and belt, and didn't find a single speck of blood. But that doesn't rule Blake out. The medical examiner testified that the shooter was one to two feet away from Bonnie.

But from analyzing the blood on Bonnie's clothes, Angler determined that the blowback traveled only about eight and a half inches. So Blake could have shot her and still not gotten any blood on his clothes. When it's his turn to cross, Schwartzbach asks a simple question. So your report does not tell us one way or the other who shot Bonnie Bakley. It doesn't, Englert admits. But Samuels has made her point. The lack of spatter on Blake's clothes does not rule him out as the killer. On January 20th, Samuels focuses on motive. She calls a private investigator and former police officer to the stand. She needs to show how far Blake was willing to go to get his baby away from Bonnie.

William Welch tells the court when Blake found out Bonnie was pregnant, at first he didn't even want the baby, and he definitely didn't want Bonnie. Blake told me, I've been thinking about this. We're going to hire a doctor and abort. And if that doesn't work, we're going to whack her. The intended target was Bonnie. Samuels drills down. What did you take that to mean?

The question is clearly for the jury's benefit. Welch answers, kill her. Samuels nods. And what did you say? I said it wasn't a good idea. Is that it? I also said, are you out of your fucking mind? He told Blake he wanted no part of the plan.

But then when the baby was born, Blake's tune changed. He became obsessed with getting the baby and keeping her from Bonnie. On cross-examination, Schwartzbach goes straight to the point. You're a veteran of the police force, is that right? Welch nods. Why would someone who is a veteran policeman fail to report Blake's alleged solicitation to commit a crime like murder. Welch says he was convinced he could talk Blake out of it. It's a small dent in Welch's testimony.

Schwartzbach can only hope it casts doubt on the private investigator's credibility. Four days later, Samuels calls Cody Blackwell to the stand, who recounts the harrowing story of a kidnapping. Seven months before she was killed, Bonnie came to visit Blake with the baby. Blake had Blackwell pretend to be a nurse and gave her the baby to take care of while he went to lunch with Bonnie. Then he called from a payphone and instructed Blackwell to meet him in a parking lot where he took the baby and drove off to his daughter's house. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. When Blake came back,

he was ranting and raving about Bonnie's family. He said, just let them come to my place. I'll be ready. I'll shoot them dead and the birds can pick their bones. Blake was so worked up that Blackwell feared he'd killed Bonnie. When it's Schwartzbach's turn to question Blackwell, he asks her if she sold her story to Star Magazine for $8,000. She admits she did, but explains she was behind on the rent and she needed the money. Then Schwartzbach asks a pointed question,

another version of what he had asked Welch. Why didn't she go to the police if she was so sure Blake had killed Bakley? Blackwell starts to sob. I'm really ashamed of this. I should have called them. I didn't because I thought I'd be arrested. Despite Cody Blackwell's tears, the point has been made. Blake was willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get his baby away from Bonnie. lengths to get his baby away from Bonnie. But there's a big difference between kidnapping and murder. Samuels is counting on her star witnesses to prove that Robert Blake is capable

of both. To be continued... in researching this story, but sources we found exceptionally helpful are the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Court TV, the Associated Press, ABC's 2020, and the Van Nuys Superior Court. We also recommend the book, Leaning on the Arc, A Personal History of Criminal Defense by M. Gerald Schwartzbach. Our show was produced by Rebecca Reynolds,

Jim Carpenter, and me for Hollywood and Crime. Thank you. For Wondery, our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louis. You've just finished episode one of The Wonderland Murders, and the chilling story of John Holmes and the brutal murders on Wonderland Avenue has only begun to unfold. In episode two, John's drug addiction spirals out of control, threatening his career and his relationships. Desperate for money and his next fix, he crosses paths with the notorious drug kingpin, Eddie Nash. fix, he crosses paths with the notorious drug kingpin Eddie Nash. This dangerous alliance sets the stage for a deadly confrontation that will leave the streets of Los Angeles soaked in blood. As the detectives dig deeper into the investigation, they uncover a web of lies, betrayal, and murder that reaches the highest echelons of the city's criminal underworld. The stakes couldn't be higher as they race against time to bring the killers to justice

before more lives are lost. Episodes 2 through 7 are available exclusively on Wondery Plus. Subscribe now to binge the rest of the season and dive into other gripping true crime and history podcasts that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Download the Wondery app and subscribe to Wondery Plus today so you don't miss a moment of this chilling story.