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From: Kari
Date: 5/7/01
Time: 1:12:12 AM
Blake remains in hospital as police search for wife's killer By Greg Risling Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Actor Robert Blake remained hospitalized Sunday as police continued to search for his wife's killer.
Blake, 67, checked himself into a San Fernando Valley hospital for high blood pressure Saturday and will remain there for at least two more days, said attorney Harland Braun.
"He's doing fine and has it under control," said Braun, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney. "But the doctors want to hold him a little bit longer to make sure he's OK."
Blake's wife, identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office as Bonny Lee Bakley, 45, was shot and killed Friday as she sat in a Dodge Stealth near Vitello's restaurant, a Studio City eatery the actor frequented. Police refused to make any comments about the case Sunday but previously said Blake isn't considered a suspect.
Police serving a search warrant at Blake's house Saturday recovered two 9mm handguns and seized phone records and other paperwork, Braun said. Police have interviewed Blake twice -- once for about three hours immediately following the shooting again for an hour on Saturday -- Braun added.
Bakley was shot once in the head as her husband retrieved a handgun he left behind inside the restaurant. Blake had been carrying the gun because his wife feared for her life, Braun said. It was unclear who or what she was afraid of, Braun added.
"Murder is usually a highly motivated thing but here we have a woman we don't know a lot about," Braun said. "Someone took that opportunity to kill her when Robert left the car. She was very vulnerable."
Bakley had been on probation and was convicted in her home state of Arkansas for carrying a fake ID. Braun said the couple had signed a prenuptial agreement before their marriage earlier this year that stated Bakley couldn't engage in any criminal activity.
The actor married Bakley after DNA tests revealed the couple's 11-month-old daughter, Rose Lenore Sophia, belonged to Blake. The baby girl was originally named Christian Shannon Brando because Blake believed the father was Christian Brando, the son of actor Marlon Brando.
Although Bakley lived in a unit behind Blake's home, the marriage was improving over the last several weeks, Braun said.
"It wasn't your normal love," he said. "They had a common interest in the child."
The baby is now in the care of Blake's relatives.