Blake Attorney to Try Again to Bring Evidence of Another Killer

Originally posted Sept. 17, 2004:

The defense attorney in actor Robert Blake's murder trial said Friday [Sept. 17] he will use an October hearing to try again to persuade a judge to allow evidence linking someone else to the 2001 killing of Blake's wife.

M. Gerald Schwartzbach said at a court hearing that he has more evidence to support the previous claim that a drifter with ties to Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando, killed Blake's wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.

The defense attorney later told reporters police also have the evidence, which allegedly shows the drifter received $10,000 around the time of Bakley's slaying. He said detectives chose not to pursue it.

Details here from the AP via The Sacramento Bee.

UPDATE (10/7) after the jump:
UPDATE 2 (10/14): Blake Judge Rules Brando Calls Irrelevant
Prosecutor of Blake says Christian Brando theory lacks evidence

Actor Robert Blake's prosecutor urged a judge Thursday to bar from the murder trial a defense theory that links Christian Brando to the killing of Blake's wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
Deputy District Attorney Shellie Samuels, in a reply to a defense brief, wrote that there was no evidence that the late Marlon Brando's son was involved directly or circumstantially in the actual shooting of Bakley.

"Granting the motion to allow presentation of defendant's many unfocused theories would only confuse and mislead a jury," Samuels said, predicting it would cause delays and lengthen a trial already expected to last a few months.

Details here from the AP via the Sacramento Bee.