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- [00:01]
Traci Patton
The execution of Bonnie Lee Bakley contains.
- [00:03]
Josh Lucas
Depictions of violence and is not suitable for everyone.
- [00:07]
Traci Patton
Please be advised.
- [00:21]
Josh Lucas
Bonnie's blue Mercedes shot down the fast lane of the 10 Freeway. It was April 19, 2001, two weeks since she left New Jersey. Her dest was finally in sight. The flat desert town of Blythe, California. The main street was a series of beige, nondescript buildings. There was nothing special about Blythe, but it was very special to Bonnie. It was where she was starting her honeymoon with Robert Blake. She pulled into the parking lot of a two star motel and watched a miniature sandstorm sputter across the asphalt. Her sister's words rolled through her brain like a tumbleweed. It's a trap. Don't. But Bonnie shook the thought out of her head. The honeymoon was Blake's idea. He'd made all the arrangements. A trip to the casinos, boating on a lake. Maybe all that time apart made him miss her. He certainly seemed happy to see her, so that was good. His bodyguard, Earl Caldwell, was there, too. Not so good. The trio headed to Parker, Arizona. They stopped along the way and went fishing. Blake was laid back and cheerful. Maybe this was his element. Wide open spaces and no set schedule. They checked into the Blue Water Casino, where Blake got connecting suites for him and Bonnie. At least Earl had a separate room. They all had dinner together, and then she and Earl hit the slots. He wasn't so bad, but it was awkward having him around all the time. The next morning, Blake told Earl to drive Bonnie's car back to la. Earl seemed happy to leave. He said he'd see them when they got home. But Blake didn't like that plan. He wanted Earl to drop Bonnie's car and then come back. He said Bonnie felt safer with Earl around. That wasn't true, but she didn't want to rock the boat. They spent the next few days traveling north along the Colorado river, fishing and boating. Earl was back, but he kept to himself. The only thing missing was the main ingredient of a honeymoon romance. So far there had been nothing, not even a peck on the cheek. But things sped up when they reached Three Rivers, a small town just outside of Sequoia National Park. They were sitting on the riverbank at dusk, looking at the swirling water. Blake began to get amorous. Bonnie had been waiting for this moment the entire trip. Her only concern was that Earl was nearby. But Blake told her not to worry. He'd sent him up ahead to fish. Bonnie peeled off her clothes and laid down on the ground. Blake leaned in. The sound of twigs snapping startled her. She looked over. It was Earl. He was bent over vomiting into the bushes. Blake jumped up and ran over. He put his arm around Earl and spoke to him. His voice was soft.
- [03:36]
Detective Ron Ito
It's okay buddy. I'll get someone else to take care of it. You don't have to worry.
- [03:41]
Josh Lucas
Someone else to take care of it? What the hell was Blake talking about? Then she noticed a glint in Earl's hand. Something metallic. Bonnie thought it look like a gun.
- [03:58]
Traci Patton
This episode is brought to you by Audible, your destination for best selling audiobooks.
- [04:04]
Josh Lucas
Exclusive Audible originals and more. New members can try audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com cotton or text cotton to 500500 people thought it was impossible to.
- [04:19]
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- [05:18]
Josh Lucas
From Wonder. I'm Traci Patton along with my co host Josh Lucas, and this is Hollywood in Crime, the execution of Bonnie Lee Bak. On our last episode, a retired stuntman claimed Blake tried to hire him to kill Bonnie. Then another witness came forward saying a second retired stuntman was approached with the same offer. But when the Homicide Special squad tried to get him to talk, he clammed up. This is episode five, the Stuntman Cometh.
- [06:01]
Detective Ron Ito
Detective Ron Ito is following a hunch all the way out to the Mojave desert. It's been 17 days since Bonnie's murder and Ito and his partner Steve Iguchi are on their way to re interview former Hollywood stuntman Ronald Duffy Hambleton. They're followed by another police cruiser and the LAPD's mobile command post, a specially equipped RV. Five days ago. Detectives questioned Duffy after his ex roommate called in a tip. Duffy told the guy that Blake offered him $100,000 to kill Bonnie. But when detectives interviewed Duffy, he'd only copped to having a friendly lunch with Blake. Ito is sure Duffy has been lying to them. He needed a way to get Duffy to loosen his lips, so Ito got a search warrant. It will add pressure. Duffy is a meth user, and he's got good reason to worry about what they might find. They'll question him in the mobile command post. While officers comb through his place, the detectives arrive at Duffy's compound. It's surrounded by a chain link fence. Junk cars in the front look like metal monsters in the growing darkness. Duffy comes out to meet them at the gate. When the local deputy shows him the search warrant, IDO can see Duffy considering his options. Not that he has any. Finally, Duffy steps aside and lets them in. Detectives Harrow and Solar lead Duffy into the RV and start questioning him. Ito stands by, listening to the interview. At first, Duffy sticks to his story. He met Blake for lunch. They talked about a script for a motorcycle movie. But then he switches gears. He did tell his roommate that Blake offered him 100,000 bucks to kill Bonnie. But he says he just made that up to test the guy. I figured we'll find out if he's a yakety yaker. The detectives keep pressing him on what happened at the lunch with Blake, but Duffy insists he doesn't know anything. Harrow asks if he'll take a polygraph test. Duffy refuses, says he doesn't trust them. Finally, Duffy lets on that he's afraid to cooperate. I know for goddamn sure if I go and testify in a huge case of this nature, I know the collar I'll be wearing, and I know my life's not going to be worth a shit. Duffy hung out with ex cons, biker gangs and drug addicts. Out here in meth country, the shelf life of a snitch is short. Harrow offers to put him in the Witness protection program, but Duffy shakes his head. He's old, sick. He has no interest in starting his life over with a new identity. For crying out loud, I'm trying to be righteous, but I'm over a barrel. I'm sure you're going to put it together and it's going to be fine, and I don't have to get killed over it. Stalemate. But Ito now knows for certain that Duffy hasn't been telling them the truth. They wrap up the interview and head outside. Iguchi tells him the search warrant turned up Nothing. Ido has to make Duffy believe he has no choice, that he'll have to talk. He'll need something stronger than a search warrant.
- [09:34]
Josh Lucas
Bonnie thought she'd seen a gun in Earl's hand. But why? The only explanation was that he planned to kill her but wasn't able to do it. She wondered if she had misread the situation. She couldn't make sense of it. So she put it out of her head and stayed. Blake's mood had soured. A local tour guide who showed them around would later say he didn't even know Blake and Bonnie were a couple until she he thought Bonnie was with Earl. The couple never held hands, and they slept in separate beds, Blake and a queen, Bonnie on a cot. He said there would be total silence between them. He never touched her or did anything romantic. At one point, when Bonnie was alone with the guide, she told him it felt like she was walking on thin ice with Blake. The honeymoon ended one day early, and the trio returned to la. When Bonnie called her friends and family and told them about the trip, how she feared Caldwell had a gun, how he'd gotten sick, no one could understand why she stayed. Judy said she was crazy, told her to pack up and get out. Her sister Marjorie agreed. She had been begging Bonnie to leave Blake almost from the start. Her friend Robert Stefanow was even more blunt. You need to get the hell away from him. Something is going to happen. You're going to get hurt. He had given her the same warning in the past, but Bonnie always skirted over his concerns. One time she asked him, do you think I'll feel any pain? I hate pain. Stefanow wasn't sure how to respond. Bonnie finally said, well, I always wanted to be famous. If it happens, I guess I will be. I'll get my dream. But she couldn't just leave. Her daughter was still here. She told him, I want to get my baby. If anything happens, be sure to tell the police.
- [11:51]
Detective Ron Ito
It's June 18th. Detective Robert Bubb is in an office building with a view of the Seattle skyline. To his right sits his partner, Brian McCarten. Directly across from him, blocking the view, is Christian Brando, flanked by a local criminal defense attorney. The detectives flew up to interview Brando because he's a person of interest. He and Bonnie had an affair. She told Brando he was the father of her baby, even when she knew it was Robert Blake's. Then she sent him pictures of Blake holding the child. Brando had a reason to be angry. But was it reason enough to kill her? Bub Asks him how he felt about the picture. I feel like Blake was sitting down and holding the kid, you know, with a kind of smirk on his face. It was insulting, but he denies being angry enough to cause anybody violence. Tells the cops he learned his lesson. Well, who do you think did this to Bonney? Grand? Was silent for a moment. Well, she was playing hardball with a bunch of people and I guess that's the payoff, you know, I mean, just wrecking people, taking all their money. The cops ask where he was the night of the murder, but he has an alibi. He was at his home in Calama, Washington, and apparently he has a witness and she's waiting in the lobby. When Brando got out of prison, his family hired a woman named Diane Matson to keep an eye on him and help him stay clean and sober. Brando's nervous, but it doesn't stop him from offering them some advice. I'm not a detective or in law enforcement, but if I was investigating this, I would look at a. I'd be looking at Robert Blake pretty close. Detective Bub nods. The evidence they have points to Blake, but they need to completely rule out any other potential suspects. If Matson corroborates Brando's alibi, they can scratch Brando's name off the list. Diane Matson has a case of the jitters. She's sitting across from detectives Bubba and McCarten. According to a document later filed by the defense, Christian Brando's lawyer told her she only had to do two things. Keep Brando sober before the interview and not bring up anything about his drug use or violence. She's hoping that's all there is to it. Detective Bub switches on his tape recorder and starts the interview. He asks about her relationship with Brando. She explains she's his caretaker. She thought about saying she was his adult babysitter, but that made him sound like a toddler. Which was more accurate. Then Detective Bub gets to the point. Were you with Christian Brando on the night of May 4, 2001? Diane is prepared for this. She just needs to answer the questions. Don't say anything about his hallucinations and meth fueled tantrums or about how he turned over his refrigerator, broke windows, punched holes in the wall.
- [15:01]
Josh Lucas
I was with Christian at his house that night. We barbecued.
- [15:05]
Detective Ron Ito
Which is true. She waits while he makes notes. Then Detective Bub turns off the tape recorder and smiles. We're pretty sure we have our man. The implication is clear. The man isn't Brando. Diane is relieved. If they know who did it. This interview was just a formality. The things she was afraid they might ask her don't matter. The detectives thank her and she leaves the conference room. Brando is waiting in the lobby. He leads her to the nearest bar. She watches him down a double whiskey. She would later tell an attorney. Brando expressed relief the interview was over and he wouldn't have to worry about that again. I'm glad I didn't fall apart. I pulled it off, even though the LAPD sent their finest. Then he orders another round.
- [16:04]
Josh Lucas
Judy Howell was worried. Ever since Bonnie told her about Earl and the gun, she had been a bundle of nerves. She didn't know why Bonnie had gone back to LA with Blake. It was Sunday, April 30, and she hadn't heard from Bonnie all day. Finally, Bonnie called at 11:30 at night. She was mad. She wanted to see her baby, but Blake had been making it difficult. Rosie was staying at the home of Blake's daughter, Delena. She thought he was purposely trying to keep Bonnie away. Judy agreed. There was a visit with Rosie scheduled for Thursday, three days away. But what if it's the same as the last time I went? The visits are so short and they're supervised. Someone's always looking at us like I'm going to do something wrong. Bonnie wanted her baby back. That's when she came up with an idea. On her next visit, she could handcuff herself to the bottom of Delena's kitchen sink. They'd call the cops, and then she could explain. This was her baby. Judy was used to Bonnie's flair for drama, but she favored a more direct approach. Show up at Delina's, judy advised. Just say you're not leaving without Rosie. If they don't let you take her, call the police. They have to give her to you. She's your baby. But Judy was concerned Bonnie wouldn't be able to pull it off on her own. How many times had she let Blake manipulate her? So she and Bonnie came up with three more plans. She could simply demand Blake give the baby back, and then Judy could fly out and spirit the baby back to Memphis. If he wouldn't give up Rosie, Bonnie could grab her and fly back herself. Or Bonnie could call the cops and show them Rosie's birth certificate and legally take her. Bonnie interrupted. Do you hear clicking on the line? I think Blake is tapping my phone. But Judy didn't hear anything. She made Bonnie promise to check in with her on Thursday, no matter what happened with the baby. When they finally hung up, the phone. It was 4am But Judy was still wide awake with words.
- [18:30]
Detective Ron Ito
It's a scorching June afternoon in la, but the air conditioner in the Homicide Special squad room is shooting out heat. Detective Ito is tempted to give the old unit a kick. Instead, he rolls up his sleeves. Ito's meeting with Assistant Deputy DA Greg Dohey. Doe is a Harvard grad who's worked in the DA's office for a decade. Ito likes to style. He doesn't talk down to detectives like some of his peers. Lately, Doughey's taken to stopping by the office to strategize with the Homicide Special team about the Blake case. When he comes in today, he's all business. So what do we know about the gunshot residue test? Ito tells him the clothing Blake wore the night of Bonnie's murder tested positive. He said they got a positive result on Blake's hands, too. But there's a caveat. The criminalist who wrote the report stated if Mr. Blake is in the environment of firearms and handles firearms on a regular basis, then these results could be from that contact. Meaning if Blake handled a gun that was recently fired, or if he fired one, it could cast doubt on whether he shot the murder weapon. Blake is a gun enthusiast and a regular at the firing range. His lawyer is claiming Blake went shooting a day earlier. Ito will check that story. But there's a bigger problem. The officer who collected Blake's clothing on the night of the murder should have checked the clothes into the evidence room. Instead, he left the clothes locked in the trunk of his patrol car overnight. If the cop had any guns in the trunk, they might have left gunpowder residue. And if Blake's clothes came into contact with any of it, they could have been contaminated. When Blake's lawyers find out, they'll make it an issue. Hammer the cop on the witness stand, claim it was intentional. Ido can see Dohey isn't happy about the misstep. Well, nothing we can do about it now. Ido moves on to give him a rundown on their interviews with the stuntmen. One still won't talk. But Ito has a plan. The DA perks up, tells him to keep at it. But he also wants Ito and his team to have another chat with Earl Caldwell, Blake's bodyguard. Go to his apartment, Doughey says, and go with a search warrant. Ido's not sure what he'll find. Search warrants are always a crapshoot. But who knows? Maybe this time Lady Luck will be on their side.
- [21:18]
Josh Lucas
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Traci Patton
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Josh Lucas
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Traci Patton
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- [21:51]
Josh Lucas
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- [22:00]
Josh Lucas
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- [22:10]
Traci Patton
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- [22:14]
Josh Lucas
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- [22:33]
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- [23:42]
Detective Ron Ito
It's a sunny afternoon in June when Ito and his team make a surprise visit to Earl Caldwell. There's a new detective with Ito and a Gucci. Brian Tyndall Tindall is a big guy with broad shoulders and a shaved head. Ito first met him in the 80s, working on a murder case in Hollywood. Tyndall was smart. He'd worked high profile cases in the past. When Ito heard the detective was available, he asked to have him assigned to the Bakeley case. They arrive with a search warrant in hand. Caldwell lives in a second floor studio apartment above a garage on a side street in Burbank. All the buildings are beige with speckled concrete exteriors. If Caldwell is surprised to See the detectives, he doesn't let on. He greets them with the same heavy lidded eyes and hang dog expression Ito remembers from his first interview. Caldwell's apartment is like most bachelor pads Ito has seen. Not much thought to the interior design, except to feature the TV and stereo unit. In the first few minutes of their search, they find $2,000, two shotguns and two pistols. When the detectives ask Caldwell about it, he tells them he just cashed his paycheck and the guns belonged to his father, who was a collector and gunsmith. After two hours of combing through the small apartment, Ito's ready to call it. But then Iguchi comes up the stairs and pulls him aside. I searched Earl's car. Found an antique pistol, a Mauser. Ido's intrigued. The gun used in the murder wasn't a Mauser, but it was an antique. And look what I found in the bottom of the cup holder, a Gucci shows Ito a note with a handwritten list of items. 2 shovels, small sledge, crowbar. 25 auto. Get blank gun ready. Old rugs, duct tape, black Drano, pool acid, lye shovels. Holy shit. Eguchi agrees. Buy the shopping list. The next morning, Caldwell's lawyer phones IDO and tries to explain it all away. She says most of the items were intended for repairs on Blake's house and the lie was to clean the pool. Ido's not buying the reason. Tindall agrees he's not buying it either. Ito will send Tindal to check out the bodyguard's alibi. There's still a lot of legwork to do to connect Caldwell to Bonnie's murder. But maybe they finally got lucky.
- [26:22]
Josh Lucas
Bonnie was furious. She was supposed to see her baby on Thursday, but Robert Blake had changed the plan. She and Judy had plotted for hours on how she was going to get her baby back. Now Blake told her the visit had moved to next Monday. This time, she put her foot down. She wanted to see Rosie, just like they had planned. But then Blake offered a compromise. They'd visit the baby on Monday and bring her home to live with them permanently. Which meant they'd need a bigger place. They were going house hunting. Bonnie was suspicious. It seemed too easy, but she agreed. For the next two days, they tooled around the San Fernando Valley with Blake behind the wheel. At times, he'd pull over and get out of the car, walk around, muttering about trying to find the right spot. But there was no house for sale on the street, as far as she could see. She later told her sister Marjorie about their random stops. What was he looking for, she wondered. During the drives, Blake kept picking fights. He accused her of using him for his money, even though she hadn't taken a single cent. And then there was the issue of her family. She wanted her oldest daughter, Holly, along with Holly's boyfriend, to come stay with her. But Blake shut that down. He told her he didn't want them anywhere near the property. The only bright side was that Earl wasn't around anymore. Blake had sent him up north somewhere for time off. Bonnie was relieved. Then on Wednesday, the arguments with Blake escalated. Bonnie called her mother and said that Blake had told her he had a.
- [28:10]
Traci Patton
Bullet with her name on it.
- [28:12]
Josh Lucas
Her mother would later tell a reporter the story, but Bonnie didn't back down. She told him she wasn't some stupid hick. She got Blake to marry her after all, didn't she? Bonnie figured she just had to hang on for another weekend. Come Monday, she'd get Rosie and put all this behind her.
- [28:43]
Detective Ron Ito
Detectives Ido, Iguchi, and Tyndall stand at the bottom of a long, narrow staircase. It leads to a pink cottage on Wonderland Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Ito looks up. They've got about 100 steps to climb. He hopes it's worth it. Ito takes out his badge. Cody Blackwell. The woman nods.
- [29:09]
Josh Lucas
I wondered when you guys would finally show up.
- [29:13]
Detective Ron Ito
Cody Blackwell is Robert Blake's former assistant, but she played his nanny when he snatched the baby from Bonnie eight months before her murder. Blackwell had recently sold her story to a tabloid and gave her account of what happened that day. Ito thinks if Blake killed Bonnie, his motive was because he wanted the baby. The detectives want to find out what Blackwell knows. Blackwell's apartment is funky. The floor is painted with swirls of purple and yellow. Ferns swing from macrame holders. Native artifacts line the floor walls. Blackwell sits on a bed. Two giant dogs flop down beside her. Blackwell tells them she met Blake at an AA meeting a few years ago. He asked her to do some house cleaning, then ended up hiring her as a personal assistant. She hadn't seen him for a while when he called and offered her a job as a nanny. When she showed up, Blake told her the baby's mother was bad news, said she had deliberately gotten pregnant with his child and now she wanted him to marry her. Blake told her Bonnie was scum of the earth, involved with drug dealers, racketeers, and tattooed trailer trash.
- [30:24]
Josh Lucas
Buddy said he wanted the baby. He said he'd do whatever it took to get her.
- [30:29]
Detective Ron Ito
Ida looks at a Gucci. This corroborates his own theory about the motive. What happened the day Blake took her? Blackwell tells them Blake told her to come to the house at 8am that day. Bonnie was supposed to come into town to sign a prenup. But when Blackwell showed up, the guy named Moose was there too. Moose?
- [30:52]
Josh Lucas
That's what Blake called him.
- [30:54]
Detective Ron Ito
She tells them Moose was big and imposing with curly dark hair. The description sounds familiar to the detectives. Iguchi pulls out a photo of Earl Caldwell.
- [31:05]
Josh Lucas
That's Moose.
- [31:07]
Detective Ron Ito
She said Moose told her he was there to subdue Bonnie if she got wild and crazy. When Bonnie showed up, Blake told her to take care of Rosie while they went to lunch. Then an hour later, he called and said to meet him in a parking lot and bring the baby. That wasn't part of the plan. When she got there, Blake was acting really strange. That's when Cody realized she might be part of the kidnapping scheme.
- [31:33]
Josh Lucas
Am I going to be arrested?
- [31:35]
Detective Ron Ito
Ido assures her she's not in trouble. He asks her if she knows where Blake took the baby. Blackwell's not sure, but she's got a good guess. Blake's daughter Delina lived nearby. Blake told Blackwell that Delina and her boyfriend had been trying to have a baby without any luck.
- [31:54]
Josh Lucas
He implied that if anything happened to him or Bonnie, the baby would go to Delena.
- [31:59]
Detective Ron Ito
Ita exchanges a look with a Gucci and Tyndall. Blackwell confirmed what the tabloid said and filled in a big piece of the puzzle. But it's not enough to take the case to trial. They need something stronger that connects Blake directly to the hit. They still need Duffy to Talk.
- [32:24]
Josh Lucas
On Friday, May 4, 2001, Bonnie got up uncharacteristically early. Normally, she'd sleep until at least noon, but she'd spent all night staring at the ceiling. She and Blake had been arguing all week about money, about the baby, about her family. It made her anxious. She called her sister at 8am 20 minutes into their conversation, Bonnie heard a bang. Then a burglar alarm went off nearby. She was rattled. I think he's coming to kill me. She paced around the guest house as she talked to Marjorie. When she got to Blake's weight room, she saw a sleeping bag laid out on the floor. It reminded Bonnie of a TV movie called Judgment Day. The John List Story. It was about a man who killed his wife and his family and put their bodies in sleeping bags. Blake played the lead. It was a true story, and his performance got him an Emmy nomination. Marjorie again tried to get Bonnie to leave, but Bonnie had plans for the evening. Blake was taking her to dinner at his favorite restaurant, Vitello's. The sisters stayed on the phone for six hours. They hung up at 2:30pm Marjorie would later tell the police that Bonnie also gave her the number of a report at Star magazine. Bonnie said he'd always written good stories about her in the past. She said. When it happens, call him and make sure he has a nice picture of me.
- [34:12]
Narrator
Behind the closed doors of government offices and military compounds, there are hidden stories and buried secrets from the darkest corners of history. From COVID experiments pushing the boundaries of science to operations so secretive they were barely whispered about. Each week on Redacted Declassified Mysteries, we pull back the curtain on These hidden histories, 100% true and verifiable stories that expose the shadowy underbelly of power. Consider Operation Paperclip, where former Nazi scientists were brought to America after World War II not as prisoners but as assets to advance US intelligence during the Cold War. These aren't just old conspiracy theories. They're thoroughly investigated accounts that reveal the uncomfortable truths still shaping our world today. The stories are real. The secrets are shocking. Follow Declassified Mysteries with me, Luke Lamanna on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts to listen ad free. Join Wondery in the Wondery App.
- [35:22]
Detective Ron Ito
It'S one week after Thanksgiving, and Detectives Ido and Tyndall are at Deputy DA Greg Doie's office. It's a big day for Ido. Sitting across from them is Duffy Hamilton. He's clean shaven, wearing a pressed suit, and he's ready to talk. What a difference a subpoena makes. The last time they interviewed Duffy, he implied he had incriminating information about Blake. But he said he didn't want to be labeled a snitch, implied they'd have to twist his arm to make him testify. Yesterday, two of Edo's detectives showed up at Duffy's desert compound with a grand jury subpoena. Duffy understood right away lying to a grand jury is a felony. He would finally talk. Arm successfully twisted, Doughey introduces himself, and right away Duffy begins to ramble. He says he didn't sleep well, so when he woke up he took a whole bunch of his medicine. He also tells them he's not happy to be here. After some prodding, Duffy tells them he met with Blake several times in April 2001, but it wasn't about any motorcycle movie. It was about killing Bonnie. They had several more meetings after that. Blake even drove him out to the desert and showed him a spot to dig a grave. Another time, Blake took him to scope out Vitello's restaurant. We drove by and down the alley of the fucking restaurant. He was elaborating on a fucking hundred and goddamn different scenarios in hopes, I guess, that one of them would strike my fancy and I'd go, oh yeah, that's the one. Duffy insists he never intended to do it, but Blake wouldn't let up. So he went along for the ride. Finally, a week or so before the murder, Duffy told him he wasn't interested. Blake blew up. He said, I'm going to have to handle it myself. I'm willing to make a human sacrifice to make sure that Bonnie's not in charge of raising the kid. Ito smiles. This is what they needed. Police now have two retired stuntmen who will testify that Blake solicited them to kill Bonnie. Testimony from McLarty and Duffy could decide the case. The problem is both men are heavy meth users with checkered pasts. A jury might not believe them. They need concrete proof. Doughey asks how Duffy kept in touch with Blake. Duffy tells them by phone. But he was worried about being connected to Blake and his plot. So he told him to get a prepaid calling card because calling cards couldn't be traced. Ito holds back a smile. Duffy's wrong. Calling cards can be traced and the code on the card will give them a record of every call Blake made. They need to find the number of the card. Do you know when and where Blake bought the card? Duffy's recall is fuzzy, but he thinks it was around March 11, possibly at a gas station or 711 off Ventura Boulevard in the Valley. It's an 18 mile stretch of road. A 711 on practically every corner. But if Blake bought it with a credit card, there'll be a record of the purchase that should lead them to the store and the store to the calling card. It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack. But if they find that needle, they can charge Robert Blake with murder.
- [39:06]
Josh Lucas
It was Friday, May 4, 2001, and Bonnie Lee Bakley was getting dressed for dinner. She put on a lavender bra and a black shirt and a matching skirt. She checked herself in the mirror. She looked tired. Bonnie couldn't shake the dread she'd been feeling all week. She picked up the phone and called Judy. She really needed to talk to her best friend, but Judy wasn't home, so she left a message. Wish you were home. I'm a little bit worried. I'll call you back later. She checked her watch. In 20 minutes she'd be having dinner with Robert Blake at Botello's in 90 minutes, she'd be dead. She grabbed her small red clutch and headed downstairs to meet Blake. A few minutes later, Blake turned onto Craft street and parked his Dodge Stealth under a broken street lamp. It was a block and a half from the restaurant. Bonnie followed Blake down the dark sidewalk. She jumped at the sound of fireworks. Then she remembered it was almost Cinco de Mayo. The celebrations were starting early this year. At around 8:15, Bonnie and Blake walked into Vitello's. As soon as they arrived, the house pianist changed from the song he was playing to Johnny Mercer's I remember you. The owner greeted them with a big smile and a booming voice. He and Robert embraced and clapped backs. But Robert didn't introduce Bonnie. She followed them to the table, watching them chat like long lost friends. Blake didn't even have to order. The waitress walked over and told him his pasta would be out after his soup. Bonnie took Blake's suggestion and ordered the meat ravioli. She added a blue cheese salad and iced tea. Blake laughed and joked. She saw patrons stealing glances. But then, about halfway through the meal, Blake excused himself to go to the men's room. When he came back, he looked pale. At 9:23, Blake paid the check. They left the restaurant five minutes later. Outside, the weather was cool and a bit foggy. Blake walked ahead, jangling his car keys. The only other sound was Bonnie's shoes clicking on the sidewalk and revelers in the distance. They reached the car and got in. Blake put the key in his ignition and then slammed his hand on the steering wheel.
- [41:48]
Detective Ron Ito
I left my gun in the restaurant. Must have dropped it in the booth. I gotta go back.
- [41:54]
Josh Lucas
Bonnie knew Blake carried. He loved guns, and he usually had one on him.
- [42:00]
Detective Ron Ito
I'll just be a minute, honey.
- [42:04]
Josh Lucas
She watched Blake jog down the street back toward Vitello's until he disappeared into the blackness. The street was quiet except for the whistling of the wind through the palms. In the distant fireworks, it sounded like thunder. Around 9:30, one bullet entered Bonnie's right cheek and lodged in her brain. Another pierced Bonnie's right shoulder. It cut a path through her carotid artery. Bonnie Lee Bay CLE was about to become famous in the worst possible way.
- [42:54]
Detective Ron Ito
It's March 15, 2002, 10 months and 11 days since Bonnie Lee Bakley was found shot to death in the Homicide Special Squadron. The fax machine whirs to life and spits out the five most important, important pages of their case. Pages that Detective Brian Tindall has been waiting on for more than two months. They're the phone records of the prepaid calling card that Robert Blake purchased. If the records show Blake used the card to call Duffy, that means Duffy was telling the truth about his meetings with Blake. It also corroborates Duffy's story about the murder for hire plot. Through Blake's credit card records, they found he bought a calling card at a 711 off Ventura Boulevard on March 11, 2001. A security officer at 711 was able to provide the PIN number on the card. Tindall sent a subpoena to ATT to secure the records of all calls Blake made from March 11 through May 4, 2001, the night of Bonnie's murder. Then Tindal waited. And waited. The phone companies are notorious for taking their time to answer these types of subpoenas. But now Tindall has the records in his hand. He scans the pages. Blake started using the card on March 12, 2001. He stopped on May 5, the day after Bonnie was murdered. Tendo counts 126 calls Blake made. In all, almost half are to Duffy, and they match the dates and times from Duffy's witness statements. There are three other calls that particularly interest Tindall. All were made to Gary McLarty, the first stuntman Blake approached to kill Bonnie. And McLarty had said that Blake called him three times. Tindall grabs the pages. He has to take this to Ito. Finally, they can arrest Robert Blake for murder.
- [45:09]
Josh Lucas
This is episode five of the execution of Bonnie Lee Bakley. A quick note about our scenes. Some scripted dialogue has been added for narrative cohesiveness. We use many sources when researching this story, but sources we found exceptionally helpful. Blood, Fame, Sex and Murder in Hollywood by Dennis McDougal and Mary Murphy and Homicide Special A year with the LAPD's elite detective unit by Myles Corwin. Our show was produced by Rebecca Reynolds, Jim Carpenter and me for Hollywood and crime. Our writers are Steve Chivers and Elizabeth Kosin. Our senior producer and editor is Loredana Palavoda, with additional editing by Natalie Shisha. Consulting by Thomas J. Additional reporting by Rachel B. Doyle. Sound design is by Kyle Randall. Audio assistance from Sergio Henriquez. Executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louie. For Wondery.
- [46:25]
Traci Patton
You've just finished episode one of the Wonderland murders, and the chilling story of John Holmes and the brutal murders on Wonderland Avenue has only begun to unfold. In episode two, John's drug addiction spirals out of control, threatening his career and his relationships. Desperate for money and his next fix, he crosses paths with the notorious drug kingpin Eddie Nash. This dangerous alliance sets the stage for a deadly confrontation that will leave the streets of Los Angeles soaked in blood. As the detectives dig deeper into the investigation, they uncover a web of lies, betrayal and murder that reaches the highest echelons of the city's criminal underworld. The stakes couldn't be higher as they race against time to bring the killers to justice before more lives are lost. Episodes 2 through 7 are available exclusively on Wondery. Subscribe now to binge the rest of the season and dive into other gripping true crime and history podcasts that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Download the Wondery app and subscribe to Wondery Today so you don't miss a moment of this chilling story.