When it happened, her life changed immediately. To her, this an important statement to make as her life, this far, was spoken about without her true perspective on things. 1. At the time she was seeing Blake, Bakley also had been seeing Christian Brando, son of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando. Bonny Lee Bakley (June 7, 1956 May 4, 2001) was the second wife of actor Robert Blake, who was her tenth husband. Bakley ran a lonely hearts business and was involved with Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, when she met Blake. But her dream of becoming a star was not materializing and hence, she began to look for ways that would make her rich and famous. Murder of Bonny Lee Bakley on Vanity Fair Confidential. Its hard when everyone talks about you, and youre not talking about yourself.. The two walked out together and Bakley got in their car, but then Blake told police he had to go back to the restaurant because he had left his gun inside. costar Larry Manetti reunite on 'Blue Bloods', This week from 40 Boxes: Save on self-care products and more, The horrific murder of a Playboy Playmate on the verge of Hollywood stardom: 'That was her flaw, not being able to see the evil in people', How Robert Blakes bold and unpredictable personality played into trials for his wifes murder, Bonny Lee Bakley had a remarkable story that played a big role at her husband Robert Blake's murder trial, (MORE: How Robert Blakes bold and unpredictable personality played into trials for his wifes murder), (MORE: Bonny Lee Bakley had a remarkable story that played a big role at her husband Robert Blake's murder trial). She grew to be an attractive teen. Blake and Bakley had a daughter, Rose Lenore Sophia Blake, who was 11 months old when her mother was murdered and was raised by Blakes older daughter. Bonny dropped out of high school and decided to go to New York City to pursue a career in modeling and acting at the Barbizon School of Modeling. Life of Bonny Lee Bakley, Murdered Wife of Actor Robert Blake. Officially, though, Bakleys murder remains unsolved. The evening of May 4th 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was sitting in her vehicle waiting for her husband when she was fatally shot. Here is the story surrounding it. Six years later, she was arrested for her attempts to pass two bad checks. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 2023 Getty Images. Murder Victim. As a child, he was in Our Gang (Little Rascals) from 1939 to 1944, and later starred in the 1967 film In Cold Blood and the 1970s TV detective series Baretta., I appeared in court a week after I met the guy, attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach tells A&E True Crime. Police believe he shot Bonny to death on May 4th, 2001. According to Blake, while walking out he realized that he had left his revolver in the restaurant and hence went back to get his gun. Original air date: April 16, 2018. Gawron also happened to be Bakleys first cousin. Bonnie Lee Bakley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Blake didnt testify in criminal court. For more on Rose Lenores journey, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday. She was an actress, known for Radio Days (1987) and Turk 182 (1985). https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bonnie-lee-bakley-34783.php. One of four children to Edward Bakley and Marjorie Bakley, she dropped out of. But in the wake of her murder, details about Bakley's past have raised the question of whether the killer could have been someone else intent on seeking revenge. And she finally got that dream fulfilled, he said. She stalked him for several months before finally meeting and becoming friends with him. Jerry Lee Lewis and Bakley remained friends until Bakley became pregnant and told everyone that the child's father was Jerry Lee Lewis and that he was leaving his wife to marry her. Leading up to her relationship with Blake, Bakley was romantically involved with Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando and actress Anna Kashfi. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. Whatever the cause, her drive for stardom became a blind obsession. It is believed that Bakley felt ostracized as a child for being poor. Charles Montaldo is a writer and former licensed private detective who worked with law enforcement and insurance firms investigating crime and fraud. She was a con artist who used sex and deception to bilk menmany of the rich and famousout of their money, and their children out of their inheritance. Rose has happy memories from the few years she spent with him as a child. All Rights Reserved. It was the Hollywood murder straight out of a movie plot and the trial that captivated the nation. Bonny Lee Bakley (June 7, 1956 - May 4, 2001) was the second wife of actor Robert Blake, who was her tenth husband. They had two children who Gawron mainly cared for while Bakley worked toward her new endeavor, a mail-order business that focused on scamming lonely men out of money. Further investigation revealed that the revolver Blake was carrying and the one used for the murder were different. She left behind a trail of men she'd scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of . "20/20" Extra: Rarely-seen moments from Barbara Walters' exclusive jailhouse interview with Robert Blake, which played a crucial role in Blake's criminal trial for his wife's murder. She managed to get various small modeling jobs, and even worked as an extra in a few movies. The friendship between Lewis and Bakley ended and baby Jerry Lee was sent to live with Bakley's ex-husband and her other children. In June 2000, Bakley gave birth to a baby girl she named Christian Shannon Brando, claiming Christian Brando was the father. When he came back out, Blake said that he found Bakley sitting in their car with two gunshot wounds. But while she was seeing Christian Brando, Bakley had also started seeing Robert Blake. A key element of the case was a small number of particlesfour according to the defense, five according to prosecutorsof gunshot residue found on Blakes hands. I had a feeling it was paparazzi, but I just kept going the show must go on.. Bakley was his second wife, but the couple hadn't been married a year when she was killed in 2001. Officially, Bakley's murder remains unsolved. Bakley was 44 years old when she was shot twice on May 4, 2001, while sitting in Blakes car after the couple had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Studio City, California. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? This May 25, 2001 file photo shows actor Robert Blake hugging his 11-month-old daughter Rose Lenore Sophie Blake during a brief funeral ceremony in Los Angeles for his slain wife Bonny Lee Bakley. After having dinner together at a Studio City,. When I saw what a media circus it was, I said to myself: I have to stay focused on being a lawyer and not getting caught in the media circus.'. He wanted to stay in the US and was advised by his lawyers to marry a US citizen. She left Jeri Lee with her ex-husband Paul to raise, but continued to financially support the child. She decided to try modeling, and she signed on with a nearby agency. So she moved in with her grandmother and started living in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. However, several sources discussed that . To her, this an important statement to make as her life, this far, was spoken about without her true perspective on things. She then went on to marry one of her distant cousins, Paul Gawron, with whom she had two children, Glenn and Holly. It was a positive article, she says, but it put distance between me and my classmates.. This motivated her decision to leave her kids in Gawrons care and head to Memphis, Tennessee, to the door of musical artist, Jerry Lee Lewis., https://twitter.com/search?f=images&vertical=default&q=bonnie%20lee%20bakley&src=typd. Its almost been 18 years since Bakley was murdered and Robert Blake still insists he had nothing to do with it. To establish different aliases, Hackett said, Bakley would steal credit cards and forge drivers licenses. Bonny Lee Bakley, a small-town New Jersey woman, has to choose between two famous leading men - television tough guy Robert Blake and the son of the world famous acting legend Marlon Brando. Indeed, the killing of Bonny Lee Bakley, forty-four-year-old groupie-cum-wife of actor Robert Blake, had evolved into the most expensive and, arguably, the most extensive investigation in LAPD history. [22], On November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable for the wrongful death of his wife in a civil trial. Search. I just kind of told him that I am not really there yet. Finally, the two met around 1982, and a friendship developed. As she got older, "her cons become more elaborate," Hackett said. "What she did was she sent nude photos to him, FedEx'd them to him while he was in jail. Bonny Lee Bakley is seen in this undated California Department of Motor Vehicles photo. She pursued a Hollywood career as a singer and actor under the stage name Lee Bonney, but was unsuccessful. After a lifetime of silence, Robert Blakes daughter is speaking out. On March 15, 2005, a jury of seven women and five men deliberated for more than 36 hours before returning a verdict of not guilty in the murder of his wife and not guilty on one count of soliciting someone to murder her. [3], In 2006, Blake filed for bankruptcy, with debts of $3 million for unpaid legal fees as well as state and federal taxes. He was the fourth lawyer hired by the actor and obtained his acquittal. Such was the case when Bonnie Lee Bakley was found shot to death in her husband's car. Rose, thus, is on the path to making her own history. When Bakley became pregnant, she claimed that the baby was Jerry Lee Lewiss love child. She even named the baby Jeri Lee, but a DNA test later proved he wasnt the father. More so, a murder can crash land its way for years to come. In the late '80s, she moved to Memphis because she wanted to date rock n roll star Jerry Lee Lewis. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Within a year of making their vows, Bonnie was shot while sitting in Blake's car outside a Los Angles restaurant. It wasn't just her out grubbing and trying to hurt them, Smith said. Rose is now on talking terms with her father, who she meets occasionally. January 12, 2019 X / o n e r a t e d - The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice Her focus switched from becoming a star to marrying one. Or, perhaps the desire to leave her hometown and begin her road to stardom grew deeper after she suffered from sexual abuse by her father. After his release in 1996, Brando and Bakley began a romantic relationship. In the end, prosecutors couldnt put the gun in his [Blakes] hand and the evidence could never connect all the links in the chain, the jury foreman told reporters, as told by CBS. Blake's attorneys had protested that jurors improperly discussed the Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson verdicts during deliberations of his case, but the appeals judge ruled that such discussions were not improper.[27][28][29]. ", "The strange collision of Bonny Bakley and Christian Brando", "Lawyer calls Blake custody agreement 'abusive', "Blake's Hollywood Ending: Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen Breaks Down Acquittals", "Robert Blake Seeks Bankruptcy Protection", "Actor Robert Blake Hit with $1.1 Million Tax Lien", "Blake appeals $30 million civil verdict", "Court cuts Robert Blake's wrongful death judgment", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bonny_Lee_Bakley&oldid=1133915200, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 03:12. Insists he had nothing to do with it rose Lenores journey, subscribe now PEOPLE! 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