Criminal and Civil Suits
On March 16, 2005, Blake was found not guilty of the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, and of one of the two counts of soliciting a former stuntman to murder her. The other count of solicitation was dropped after it was revealed that the jury was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of an acquittal. Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, commenting on this ruling, called Blake a "miserable human being" and the jurors "incredibly stupid."
Blake's defense team and members of the jury responded that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. During the trial, the defense alleged that Bakley was a drug addict who used her daughter for prostitution.
On November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable for the wrongful death of his wife in a civil trial. Bakley's three eldest children sued him, asserting he was responsible for their mother's death. The jury ordered him to pay $30 million. On April 26, 2008, an appeals court upheld the civil case verdict, but cut Blake's penalty assessment in half.
Read more about this topic: Bonnie Lee Bakley
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