Nobody in the restaurant remembers Blake actually retrieving anything: He apparently drank a glass of water and returned to his car where he discovered Bakley had been shot to death.
Suspicion quickly pointed to Blake and, just as quickly, his lawyer, Harland Braun, began to spin the story to emphasize Bakley's somewhat sordid past (she could most charitably be referred to as a con artist), suggesting that any number of people had reason to have wanted her dead, for just as many different reasons. The marriage itself, though, had been described as "troubled" -- Blake only married Bakley because she was pregnant with his child -- and according to some acquaintances, the couple rarely went out to eat together.
A timeline of the case follows. As of April 18, 2002, the day Blake was finally arrested, all the external links are still live.
The crime scene, a block and a half away from the restaurant, a week after the murder:
April 16, 2002
Robert Blake was arrested today, according to his attorney. Official word and further details are, presumably, forthcoming. Update: Both Blake and his bodyguard/chauffeur, Earle Caldwell were arrested. Blake is expected to be charged with murder ("with special circumstances") and two counts of soliticitation of murder. Caldwell is expected to be charged with conspiracy to murder.
February 13, 2002
According to Blake's lawyer, there could be a break in the case: A robber now in custody has an M.O. somewhat consistent with Bonnie Lee Bakley's murder.
July 5, 2001
"My prediction is this will never be solved." -Harland Braun, Robert Blake's attorney Two months after the shooting death of Bonny Lee Bakley, investigators seem to be at a dead end.
May 23, 2001
More About Bakley
Blake's lawyer, Harland Braun, continued to be a prime source of information about Bonny Lee Bakley -- this time, informing us that she might have been married as many as 100 times.
The Phone Call
"At one point she's talking about having this marathon sexual orgy with some trucker while she's pregnant with his child.'' -Harland Braun, gleefully relating part of a taped phone call between Blake and Bakley. The tape has come into the possession of the National Enquirer. The police want them. The tapes also make it clear that Blake accused Bakley of becoming pregnant in order to force him to marry her, which isn't much of a revelation.
Restaurant and Tape Updates
Vitello's is seeing a 20% increase in business; and the National Enquirer agreed to turn over the tapes.
May 20, 2001
The bullets used to kill Bakley did not come from any of Blake's guns or match any ammunition found in Blake's home -- or at least that's the announcement made by Harland Braun, Blake's lawyer, based on the reasoning that if tests indicated otherwise, Blake would have been arrested by now. In fact, no such announcement has been made, though the less-than-reliable tabloid New York Post has confirmed that no match has been found, quoting unidentified sources.
May 18, 2001
Bonny Lee Bakley will be buried at an unannounced time and place, to avoid media attention.
May 17, 2001
Well, not much of an update: Blake canceled Bakley's funeral service because of an onslaught of media attention and -- officially at least -- the police aren't any closer to knowing who killed her.
Theory of the Week: Blake's attorneys suggest that Bakley had hired a hitman to kill Blake, but "somehow" became a victim herself.
May 14, 2001
Police have found what they believe is the murder weapon.
May 12, 2001
"They're already cooking his goose" -Earle Caldwell, Robert Blake's bodyguard According to Caldwell, who was questioned by police for two hours on Thursday, Blake is the only suspect the police are seriously considering. Also: Caldwell describes a "mysterious blond, crew-cutted man" who'd been lurking outside the Blake home.
May 11, 2001
Blake is -- according to a statement by his attorney if not according to any official police statement -- a suspect. Also: The police plan to interview Blake's bodyguard.
May 10, 2001
The police once again search Blake's house.
May 8, 2001
The investigation continues.
This is the ironic part: Bakley, believing she was being stalked, had asked Blake to carry a gun with him when they went out. He'd forgotten the gun inside the restaurant. When he left her to retrieve it, she was killed. Or, if you will, that's the suspicious part: because according to one of the restaurant's co-owners, Blake didn't appear to have retrieved anything when he came back inside.
May 7, 2001
Blake has hired a private detective to help find his wife's killer. This article describes what an LAPD spokesman called Bonny Lee Bakley's "interesting past".
May 4, 2001:
The initial report of the murder, from Fox News (containing a number of inaccuracies, including an incorrect version of Bakley's name)
Related:
I Flew 5000 Miles to Cover the Sara Jane Olson Trial and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
More Bizarre Twists: A look at the case by Adelle Vancil Tilton, About's Guide to Celebrity News
Baretta: Everything you ever wanted to know about
Blake's television show from Debi Jenkings, about's Guide to Classic Television
Link to article and other interesting links: HERE.