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American Morning

Interview With Bakley Family Lawyer

Aired February 27, 2003 - 09:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go Los Angeles now, day two of a preliminary hearing that will determine whether or not Robert Blake stands trial for murder. He's accused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, about a year and a half ago. In an interview that aired last night on ABC, Blake told Barbara Walters that Bakley was no innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR: I think she destroyed a lot of lives, and I think one life that she destroyed, saw her on television -- because, don't forget, he wasn't Bonny Bakley, nobody ever knew who she was. She had 25 or 30 I.D.s and a whole bunch of names, and all of a sudden, he said there she is, because we got engaged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: From L.A. this morning now with more reaction to the interview last night and the Blake hearing that continues, Eric Dubin is an attorney for the Bakley family. Sir, good morning to you, thanks for getting up early.

ERIC DUBIN, BAKLEY FAMILY ATTORNEY: Hey Bill, thank you.

HEMMER: Your reaction last night? Hear anything that was damaging?

DUBIN: No, I thought it was more powerful, the testimony in court with Mr. Welch and how Mr. Blake clearly wanted to kill Bonny Lee Bakley.

HEMMER: You mentioned in court -- quickly, let's listen to part of these tape recordings that were done some time before Bonny Bakley was murdered. We'll come back and talk about it. A small example from yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE: You lied to me, you double-crossed me, you double-dealt (ph) me, and that's who you are. That's how you operate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: This is Robert Blake talking to his former wife at the time. How damaging could this be in your estimation?

DUBIN: Well, whole case is damaging, start to finish, and really, you haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet what they have against Mr. Blake. It is powerful to hear...

HEMMER: What is more coming, then?

DUBIN: Oh, God, start to finish. Five people he approached, the night of the murder, the cocaine planting, the kidnapping of Rosie, it goes on and on.

HEMMER: When will we hear that then, and will it all come out during this preliminary hearing?

DUBIN: Yes, I really think the American public is going to get a pretty full preview of the case they have against Mr. Blake, and the Barbara Walters thing was nothing but Mr. Blake trying to get some sympathy.

I have no doubt he loves Rosie, she's a beautiful little girl, but has nothing to do with whether or not he killed Rosie's mom.

HEMMER: You speak like a very confident attorney. Tell us why, based on the evidence that you say is forthcoming?

DUBIN: It's overwhelming. Really, if we're not dealing with a celebrity here, we're not talking right now. Only a celebrity can have that much evidence pointing at him and say the police framed me, or it was Faye Resnick, the drug dealer from the O.J. case or whatever the mystery stalker thing they're saying is. Mr. Blake is in jail for the right reason.

HEMMER: What do you want from Robert Blake out of this case then?

DUBIN: I don't want anything out of Mr. Blake. We want justice and that's all we can get. We want a criminal conviction and see Mr. Blake spend the rest of his life in prison.

HEMMER: Would you want to take his assets, take his money as well? And if so, where does that go?

DUBIN: Well, the civil suit is ongoing, as you know, and it is a wrongful death suit, and I can't give them back Bonny. We have four children that lost a mom. It will be up to a California jury to decide what to award, but really the focus is on the criminal case right now and the conviction.

HEMMER: Eric, listening to you, I know you speak with a lot of confidence right now. Why do you think, then, if the evidence is so overwhelming, that Robert Blake is fighting it the way he is?

DUBIN: Why not? I mean, what? Is he going to plea bargain and take 20 years? He is going to take every moment he can on TV. As you heard him say with Barbara, he's comfortable in front of the camera, it is all he knows. He'll have his day in the spotlight, but the reality is he is going to be convicted of murder.

HEMMER: Well, we will sit back and watch the developments in L.A. and see if, indeed, the evidence you have talked about comes to pass. Eric Dubin, attorney for the Bakley family in L.A. Thank you, sir.

DUBIN: Thank you, Bill.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 27, 2003 - 09:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go Los Angeles now, day two of a preliminary hearing that will determine whether or not Robert Blake stands trial for murder. He's accused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, about a year and a half ago. In an interview that aired last night on ABC, Blake told Barbara Walters that Bakley was no innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR: I think she destroyed a lot of lives, and I think one life that she destroyed, saw her on television -- because, don't forget, he wasn't Bonny Bakley, nobody ever knew who she was. She had 25 or 30 I.D.s and a whole bunch of names, and all of a sudden, he said there she is, because we got engaged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: From L.A. this morning now with more reaction to the interview last night and the Blake hearing that continues, Eric Dubin is an attorney for the Bakley family. Sir, good morning to you, thanks for getting up early.

ERIC DUBIN, BAKLEY FAMILY ATTORNEY: Hey Bill, thank you.

HEMMER: Your reaction last night? Hear anything that was damaging?

DUBIN: No, I thought it was more powerful, the testimony in court with Mr. Welch and how Mr. Blake clearly wanted to kill Bonny Lee Bakley.

HEMMER: You mentioned in court -- quickly, let's listen to part of these tape recordings that were done some time before Bonny Bakley was murdered. We'll come back and talk about it. A small example from yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE: You lied to me, you double-crossed me, you double-dealt (ph) me, and that's who you are. That's how you operate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: This is Robert Blake talking to his former wife at the time. How damaging could this be in your estimation?

DUBIN: Well, whole case is damaging, start to finish, and really, you haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet what they have against Mr. Blake. It is powerful to hear...

HEMMER: What is more coming, then?

DUBIN: Oh, God, start to finish. Five people he approached, the night of the murder, the cocaine planting, the kidnapping of Rosie, it goes on and on.

HEMMER: When will we hear that then, and will it all come out during this preliminary hearing?

DUBIN: Yes, I really think the American public is going to get a pretty full preview of the case they have against Mr. Blake, and the Barbara Walters thing was nothing but Mr. Blake trying to get some sympathy.

I have no doubt he loves Rosie, she's a beautiful little girl, but has nothing to do with whether or not he killed Rosie's mom.

HEMMER: You speak like a very confident attorney. Tell us why, based on the evidence that you say is forthcoming?

DUBIN: It's overwhelming. Really, if we're not dealing with a celebrity here, we're not talking right now. Only a celebrity can have that much evidence pointing at him and say the police framed me, or it was Faye Resnick, the drug dealer from the O.J. case or whatever the mystery stalker thing they're saying is. Mr. Blake is in jail for the right reason.

HEMMER: What do you want from Robert Blake out of this case then?

DUBIN: I don't want anything out of Mr. Blake. We want justice and that's all we can get. We want a criminal conviction and see Mr. Blake spend the rest of his life in prison.

HEMMER: Would you want to take his assets, take his money as well? And if so, where does that go?

DUBIN: Well, the civil suit is ongoing, as you know, and it is a wrongful death suit, and I can't give them back Bonny. We have four children that lost a mom. It will be up to a California jury to decide what to award, but really the focus is on the criminal case right now and the conviction.

HEMMER: Eric, listening to you, I know you speak with a lot of confidence right now. Why do you think, then, if the evidence is so overwhelming, that Robert Blake is fighting it the way he is?

DUBIN: Why not? I mean, what? Is he going to plea bargain and take 20 years? He is going to take every moment he can on TV. As you heard him say with Barbara, he's comfortable in front of the camera, it is all he knows. He'll have his day in the spotlight, but the reality is he is going to be convicted of murder.

HEMMER: Well, we will sit back and watch the developments in L.A. and see if, indeed, the evidence you have talked about comes to pass. Eric Dubin, attorney for the Bakley family in L.A. Thank you, sir.

DUBIN: Thank you, Bill.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com