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CNN Live Today
Robert Blake Returns to Southern Californian Courtroom
Aired March 03, 2003 - 10:47 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Actor Robert Blake returns to a Southern Californian courtroom today. Prosecutors are trying to see if there is enough evidence for Blake to be tried in the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley. It's been almost two years since that happened. For a closer look, we're going to turn to a now familiar face here with us in the mornings on CNN, Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," and himself an attorney in his free time.
Harvey, good morning.
HARVEY LEVIN, EXEC. PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: I don't know how you contained yourself over the weekend not talking about this thing. Let's pick up where we left off.
LEVIN: Who said I didn't?
KAGAN: Well, not with us. So go ahead and share with us. Duffy Hamilton, what does he play into with this preliminary hearing?
LEVIN: Well, Hamilton is another stuntman. He's the second stuntman who testified, and he actually did work on "Baretta." He says, basically, that Robert Blake had written the script ahead of time for him, and that Blake met him, and said, I have a couple of scenarios, I've got to get rid of my wife. As he put it, he wanted to snuff her out, and suggested a scenario where it be done in a car after dinner at Vitello's restaurant. So he was very specific about this. This is the third witness who got up on the stand, and said Blake talked to them about murdering his wife.
KAGAN: Adding more to the motive part of trying to put together this case.
LEVIN: Exactly.
KAGAN: Because this is Hollywood, it wouldn't be a preliminary hearing unless there were some different characters coming to the scene. So what is this about an AT&T witness that's going to be ahead this week?
LEVIN: Well, the AT&T witness is really important. This person will say that there was a flurry of activity on Robert Blake's AT&T calling card, specifically Hamilton and another stunt witness, McClarty, were called by Blake numerous times, right around the time Blake allegedly talked to them, to solicit them to kill Bonny Lee Bakley. So this is another way that the prosecution is going to stitch it together, that Blake was serious about that, and had multiple contacts with those people, and again, trying to put it together so Blake can stand trial.
When you are looking at this case, Harvey, the motive part seems to be stacking up more and more, but in terms of, did he actually do it and putting together that part of the case, it's not as strong, is it?
LEVIN: You are so right. In fact, Harlan Braun (ph), who was Blake's first lawyer, came out and admitted, look, Robert Blake had a motive. His point was, lots of people have motives, but the problem the prosecution has in this case, is that there is not an eyewitness who can say Robert Blake shot his wife. There is not somebody who can say, here is the hitman that Robert Blake used. It's all circumstantial. And to that extent, there is a weakness in the prosecution's case.
KAGAN: And a witness also courtesy of the police department, detective Ron Ito admitting that he did take a writer around with him that was working on a book on this case.
LEVIN: And also said that he had complained to somebody during the O.J. Simpson case that he didn't get any television coverage of his work.
Daryn, you know what, I was thinking about this weekend, and I thought, the LAPD never learns. But I was thinking, if this happened in Des Moines, I think you'd probably have the same reaction. People in this country know that big cases, high-profile cases, celebrity cases, mean that people can get rich.
Look at Mark Fuhrman, these cops know that, and they want limelight, and not just to get on television, but a lot of this translates into cold, hard cash, and I think in some ways it's tainted police work and general investigation. Everybody see this is camera, and it's just all too tempting.
KAGAN: And also, in L.A., everybody is writing a screenplay, and everybody wants their little hook their, Harvey.
LEVIN: The restaurants were just buzzing this weekend, Daryn.
KAGAN: Absolutely. Harvey Levin, thanks for getting up early on this Monday morning.
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 March 3, 2003 - 10:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Actor Robert Blake returns to a Southern Californian courtroom today. Prosecutors are trying to see if there is enough evidence for Blake to be tried in the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley. It's been almost two years since that happened. For a closer look, we're going to turn to a now familiar face here with us in the mornings on CNN, Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," and himself an attorney in his free time.
Harvey, good morning.
HARVEY LEVIN, EXEC. PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: I don't know how you contained yourself over the weekend not talking about this thing. Let's pick up where we left off.
LEVIN: Who said I didn't?
KAGAN: Well, not with us. So go ahead and share with us. Duffy Hamilton, what does he play into with this preliminary hearing?
LEVIN: Well, Hamilton is another stuntman. He's the second stuntman who testified, and he actually did work on "Baretta." He says, basically, that Robert Blake had written the script ahead of time for him, and that Blake met him, and said, I have a couple of scenarios, I've got to get rid of my wife. As he put it, he wanted to snuff her out, and suggested a scenario where it be done in a car after dinner at Vitello's restaurant. So he was very specific about this. This is the third witness who got up on the stand, and said Blake talked to them about murdering his wife.
KAGAN: Adding more to the motive part of trying to put together this case.
LEVIN: Exactly.
KAGAN: Because this is Hollywood, it wouldn't be a preliminary hearing unless there were some different characters coming to the scene. So what is this about an AT&T witness that's going to be ahead this week?
LEVIN: Well, the AT&T witness is really important. This person will say that there was a flurry of activity on Robert Blake's AT&T calling card, specifically Hamilton and another stunt witness, McClarty, were called by Blake numerous times, right around the time Blake allegedly talked to them, to solicit them to kill Bonny Lee Bakley. So this is another way that the prosecution is going to stitch it together, that Blake was serious about that, and had multiple contacts with those people, and again, trying to put it together so Blake can stand trial.
When you are looking at this case, Harvey, the motive part seems to be stacking up more and more, but in terms of, did he actually do it and putting together that part of the case, it's not as strong, is it?
LEVIN: You are so right. In fact, Harlan Braun (ph), who was Blake's first lawyer, came out and admitted, look, Robert Blake had a motive. His point was, lots of people have motives, but the problem the prosecution has in this case, is that there is not an eyewitness who can say Robert Blake shot his wife. There is not somebody who can say, here is the hitman that Robert Blake used. It's all circumstantial. And to that extent, there is a weakness in the prosecution's case.
KAGAN: And a witness also courtesy of the police department, detective Ron Ito admitting that he did take a writer around with him that was working on a book on this case.
LEVIN: And also said that he had complained to somebody during the O.J. Simpson case that he didn't get any television coverage of his work.
Daryn, you know what, I was thinking about this weekend, and I thought, the LAPD never learns. But I was thinking, if this happened in Des Moines, I think you'd probably have the same reaction. People in this country know that big cases, high-profile cases, celebrity cases, mean that people can get rich.
Look at Mark Fuhrman, these cops know that, and they want limelight, and not just to get on television, but a lot of this translates into cold, hard cash, and I think in some ways it's tainted police work and general investigation. Everybody see this is camera, and it's just all too tempting.
KAGAN: And also, in L.A., everybody is writing a screenplay, and everybody wants their little hook their, Harvey.
LEVIN: The restaurants were just buzzing this weekend, Daryn.
KAGAN: Absolutely. Harvey Levin, thanks for getting up early on this Monday morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
