Robert Blake's Release Request Denied

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/24/2002 at 01:00 PM EDT

A California court of appeals denied Robert Blake's request for release on bail without comment Tuesday, the actor's attorney, Harland Braun, told the Associated Press. The lawyer vowed that he would take Blake's case to the state Supreme Court. In court documents, reports Reuters, Braun argued that Blake "has a clearly established right to a bail hearing" and is unable to help prepare his defense because sheriff's deputies are monitoring his phone calls. Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, told the AP that the appeals court ruling came as no surprise. The former "Baretta" star, 68, has been behind bars since his April 18 arrest at his daughter's home in Southern California. He was booked on charges of murdering his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, 44, who was shot to death on May 4, 2001, inside a car that was parked near an Italian restaurant where the couple had just dined. In June, Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash refused to consider the bail issue, stating that he wished to review the prosecution's evidence against Blake at a preliminary hearing. On Tuesday, reports the AP, a new court date was set for Aug. 27, and the jurist said that he hopes to hold the preliminary hearing within 10 days after that.