Here’s what we know about the life of Bonny Lee Bakley, an aspiring singer and actress and wife to Robert Blake, whose untimely death resulted in a murder trial.
WARNING: Content of a disturbing nature ahead
Robert Blake, known for his roles in the likes of In Cold Blood and Baretta, has passed away aged 89 due to a long-term heart condition, his family has confirmed.
The Hollywood star featured in over 100 releases throughout a career that was marred by multiple high-profile stories in the press regarding his tumultuous personal life.
Bonny Lee Bakley, Blake’s second wife, became synonymous with the downfall of the late actor after her tragic 2001 passing led to a high-profile murder case.
Who was Robert Blake’s second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley?
Bakley was born in 1956 in Morristown, New Jersey. An aspiring star from an early age, Bakley dropped out of high school aged 16 and went to New York in search of a modeling and acting career.
While her career in front of the cameras failed to take off, Bakley is reported to have found a rather unique line of work for herself.
Through allegedly forming long-distance relationships with single men who would send her money in exchange for explicit photos, Bakley was able to purchase several properties and made a name for herself among major industry names like Blake.
On May 4, 2001, while married to Blake (her tenth husband), Bakley died from a gun wound, having been shot in the head in Blake’s car, which was parked a short distance from a restaurant the pair had just visited.
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Bonny Lee Bakley’s death saw Robert Blake face trial
Four years on from Bakley’s death, Blake appeared in court – facing a murder charge, and two counts of soliciting a gunman.
Blake was found not guilty of one soliciting charge and, crucially, Bakley’s murder, with the second charge of soliciting being dropped after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision.
Blake looked to be fighting an uphill battle in the court case after he conceded that he was in possession of a firearm at the time, although it transpired that the gun he brought to the restaurant was not the weapon that was used to kill Bakley.
Robert Blake was ultimately found liable for wife’s death
Despite Blake’s initial not-guilty verdict, a subsequent civil trial launched in November 2005 saw Bakley’s family compensated by Blake for her murder.
After a Los Angeles district attorney found Blake to have played a role in Bakley’s ‘wrongful death’, the actor was ordered to pay $30 million in damages to her family.
Unsurprisingly, the hefty fee delivered a heavy blow to the finances of the former child actor, who later declared bankruptcy.
Although Blake was ordered to pay compensation for Bakely’s death, nobody was ever officially found guilty of her murder; a case that remains unsolved at the time of writing in March 2023.
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