US: In Los Angeles they are saying it is a case that will bring memories of the O.J. Simpson murder trial rushing back. Actor Robert Blake, the tough-talking cop in the old Baretta TV series, was arrested late on Thursday after a year-long investigation. Police allege he shot his wife to death nearly a year ago because he felt "trapped" in his marriage.
Mr Blake was arrested at a home in a suburban community he had moved to shortly after the death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Police said they would seek charges of murder and solicitation of murder, and noted that Mr Blake (68) could face the death penalty if convicted.
Ms Bakley (44) was killed a block from a Studio City Italian restaurant where she and Mr Blake had just dined. Suspicions about Mr Blake rose almost immediately after he told police had parked his car with his wife inside about a block from the restaurant.They were married about five months before the killing on May 4th, after DNA tests proved he fathered her baby daughter, Rosie.
Police also arrested Mr Blake's bodyguard and chauffeur, Earle Caldwell, on Thursday. They said they would seek to have him charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
"We believe the motive is Robert Blake had contempt for Bonny Bakley," said Police Captain Jim Tatreau. "He felt he was trapped in a marriage that he wanted no part of and, quite frankly, the situation was not to his liking at all." Mr Tatreau confirmed earlier reports that police recovered the murder weapon, a second World War-era German-made handgun, from a trash bin about a day after the killing.
Police Chief Bernard Parks said the investigation was one of the most intensive in the department's history, adding that officers travelled to more than 20 states, interviewed more than 150 witnesses, checked out more than 150 tips and sifted through more than 900 pieces of evidence.
Mr Blake's lawyer, Mr Harland Braun, said many people had a reason to kill Ms Bakley. "Everyone who ever came in contact with her had a motive," he said. Mr Blake reacted calmly to his arrest, Mr Braun said. "His main concern right now is his children," the lawyer said.
The former child star had his greatest success in the 1970s TV series, Baretta. He also received accolades for his 1967 performance in In Cold Blood, in which he portrayed real-life killer Perry Smith, who was executed for the killings of a Kansas family.