Blake Prosecutors Won't Seek Death

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/26/2002 at 10:00 AM EDT

Robert Blake will not face the death penalty if he is convicted of the murder of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, the Los Angeles district attorney's office said Thursday. Instead, reports the Associated Press and other news outlets, prosecutors will seek a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole, the office said after some closed-door discussions by the Special Circumstances Committee, which reviews potential capital cases. The ex-"Baretta" star, 68, was charged on Monday with fatally shooting Bakley, 44, after dinner at an Italian restaurant near their Studio City, Calif., home last May. Prosecutors said that Blake and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell, 46, had planned the murder for months. Both men have pleaded innocent. The district attorney's spokeswoman, Sandi Gibbons, is quoted by the AP as saying that the swift decision about the possible future sentencing was accomplished because, "We are very anxious to get this case into court as soon as possible. We are ready to go to trial now." Blake's attorney, Harlan Braun, told the news service: "It was the right decision and they made it early and quickly and ended the speculation. This indicates it will be a professional trial, and it will be something that the county will be proud of."