BLAKE REQUEST FOR BAIL RESCHEDULED MURDER TRIAL JUDGE NEEDS MORE TIME TO REVIEW MOTIONS, APPLICABLE LAW.Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer Murder defendant Robert Blake's latest effort to get out of jail on bail was delayed Tuesday, when a judge said he needed more time to review information in the case against the Emmy Award-winning actor. ``We are obviously dealing with complicated issues, and I haven't had time to review all of the motions and the applicable law,'' said Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash, who rescheduled the bail hearing for June 27. Blake, 68, has pleaded not guilty in the in the slaying of his wife, Bonny Bonny (bŏn`ē), town, SE Nigeria, in the Niger River delta, on the Bight of Biafra. In the 18th and 19th cent., Bonny was the center of a powerful trading state, and in the 19th cent. it became the leading site for slave exportation in W Africa. Lee Bakley, 44, who was shot in the head in May 2001 as she sat in the couple's car outside Vitello's Restaurant in Studio City. In addition to murder, Blake is charged with conspiracy and the special circumstance of committing the murder while lying in wait - an allegation The assertion, claim, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, setting out what he or she expects to prove. If the allegations in a plaintiff's complaint are insufficient to establish that the person's legal rights have been violated, the defendant can make a that makes him ineligible in·el·i·gi·ble adj. 1. Disqualified by law, rule, or provision: ineligible to run for office; ineligible for health benefits. 2. for bail. Defense attorney Harland Braun has asked that the special circumstance be dropped. But prosecutors maintain they have plenty of evidence that Blake plotted his wife's fatal shooting for months, and waited for an opportune op·por·tune adj. 1. Suited or right for a particular purpose: an opportune place to make camp. 2. Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time: an opportune arrival. moment to carry it out. The former star of the TV series ``Baretta'' has repeatedly denied fatally fa·tal·ly adv. 1. So as to cause death; mortally: fatally injured. 2. So as to result in disaster or ruin. 3. According to the decree of fate; inevitably. Adv. 1. shooting Bakley, the mother of the couple's now 2-year-old daughter. He contends that Bakley was running a lonely-hearts club out of the guest cottage behind Blake's house, and that any of the men she defrauded had the motive to kill her. Blake appeared thinner as he was led into the courtroom Tuesday, and his hair has grown progressively gray since his arrest in April at his adult daughter's home in the gated community gat·ed community n. A subdivision or neighborhood, often surrounded by a barrier, to which entry is restricted to residents and their guests. of Hidden Hills. Several friends and relatives of the former child star turned out for Tuesday's hearing. Legendary comedian Mort Sahl Morton Lyon Sahl (born May 11, 1927 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is an American comedian and actor. He is credited with pioneering a style of stand-up comedy that paved the way for Lenny Bruce, Nichols & May and Dick Gregory. He also wrote speeches for John F. Kennedy. said he has been friends with Blake for 40 years, and came to court ``to see how the system is treating him.'' ``When Robert plays a maniac ma·ni·ac n. An insane person. maniac one affected with mania. , he's acting. In real life, he's just like the rest of us,'' said Sahl, adding that Blake is keeping his spirits high even in jail. ``He's never been one to suck his thumb.'' Nash also ruled that Blake's co-defendant, Earle Caldwell, can retain Arna Zlotnik as his defense attorney even though Blake is paying the legal bills. Caldwell, Blake's former handyman, is charged with conspiracy in the case, and Zlotnik may be called to testify against him. Nash allowed Caldwell to keep Zlotnik as his attorney when Caldwell said he understood that, if he is convicted, he will not be able to use the potential conflict of interest as a basis for an appeal. |
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