He Won't Do the Time

Robert Blake walks.

Comments

[GUYK]

Just heard it on the news. OJ, Blake, and even odds that M.J. moonwalks out also.

[Gary Gunnels]

GUYK,

The defense on cross has been devestating from what I can tell. Cross is truly one of the most marvelous devices for the defense of liberty around.

[thoreau]

Will he celebrate by having dinner at the restaurant where he ate before killing his wife?

[Gary Gunnels]

thoreau,

So you're convinced that the jury decided in error?

[thoreau]

Gary, I'm only half serious, but this is the state that acquitted OJ and the Rodney King cops. When a rich and famous guy says "I went to get my gun and when I came back she was shot" and then gets acquitted by an LA jury, well, that doesn't mean much.

[Lowdog]

I don't know dick about the actual facts of the case, but even if he is guilty, the prosecution wasn't able to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. That's our system, and although there are possibly better alternatives, it seems like it works fairly well.

That being said, if I was in his shoes, I'd be going away for a long, long time, more than likely, because I'm not rich.

[PapayaSF]

Phil Spector reads this and says: "Hey, maybe I can get away with it, too! I picked her up at the club and brought her home, and suddenly she decided to kill herself with my gun! And everyone knows how much I'm into gun safety. Yeah, that's the ticket."

To Gary: It sure looks to me that he did it: motive, means, opportunity, gunshot residue . . . how much more does one need? Of course there's reasonable doubt, and that's a good thing, but it looks like the defense got the jury to swallow unreasonable doubt.

[Fabius Maximus]

Apparently, motive, means and opportunity no longer count for much.

Californians think "resonable doubt" actually means "any possible doubt in the history of man".

QFMC cos. V

[Mike]

The Brioni-suited celebrity bar has a saying: Innocent until Proven Broke.

When the money to hire a good lawyer is complemented by fame as well, it's awfully tough to get convicted out here...unless, of course, you make the mistake of hiring Mark Geragos.

Just today, a judge today sentenced Geragos client Scott Peterson to the needle. Susan McDougal, Winona Ryder, Robert DOwney Jr. -- all Geragos clients, all convicted.

Michael Jackson, on the other hand, threw Geragos under the bus in favor of Thomas Mesereau -- and guess who the next acquitted celebrity to moonwalk out of the courthouse is likely to be?

[GUYK]

Mike: Agree. But, as for as I am concerned they ought to jail Mike for moonwalking if nothing else-plus being double ugly on purpose!

[Enderby]

Maybe the jury acquitted Blake because his late wife was such a ghastly repulsive creature and the twelve good men and true secretly sympathized with the accused. This is known as the Good Riddance defense.

[Jarod]

So you're convinced that the jury decided in error?

It is possible that Blake murdered his wife and that even so the jury decided correctly based on the evidence and testimony they were presented.

[Bob]

Was Blake really all that rich? I'd expect that after the trial he'd be considerably less flush, regardless.

[WSDave]

Now he can make a movie-of-the-week. Robert Blake will star as Gogetta (a distant relation to "Baretta"), a streetwise cop investigating a black former pro football player, "OK Stimpson", accused of killing his wife (played by OJ). Just when the case looks solid, Gogetta turns up some evidence that casts "reasonable doubt" that OK did it. Stimpson, while under investigation, meets with his old pal "D.C. Red" (played by A.C. Green) while riding in a light gray Explorer. D.C. tells OK that Gogetta, under Internal Affairs investigation for the murder of his own estranged wife, didn't really do it, no matter what the evidence suggests.

In the end, Gogetta and Stimpson ride off into the sunset together (well, sunrise actually) to Florida, where all their assest are protected from civil actions, and live happily ever after.

[WSDave]

The above is purely fictional and any resembalence to real people....well, you know.

[WSDave]

thoreau,"Gary, I'm only half serious, but this is the state that acquitted OJ and the Rodney King cops."

Actually, having seen part of the part of the video that the jury saw in the Rodney King case, I think the cops were acting within the scope of their jobs, though QUITE zelously. Keep in mind that the 2 people with King weren't touched, because they laid on the ground when they were told to.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I bet Barretta woulda got him.

[Douglas Fletcher]

Seriously, was anybody keeping their eyes on the sparrow?

[Stevo Darkly]

When the gooooo-oooooo-ing gets narrow?

Hey -- where can I go where the cold winds don't blow?

Wella-wella-wella-well!

(Yes, I saw Baretta more than once as a child.)

PS: If he has a cockatoo as a pet, you must acquet.

[thoreau]

WSDave-

OK, the thing to keep in mind about Rodney King is that while some of the blows they landed on him were probably justified, at some point the cops clearly crossed a line. At some point he was no longer a threat but they kept beating him anyway. You only get to use violence against a person who poses a threat to your safety. You can't just keep on beating him after he's subdued.

And OJ left his DNA all over the place, yet he got off by persuading the jury that the cops would have the guts to try to frame a rich guy. Yeah, right. Dirty cops don't frame people who can afford to fight back. Dirty cops are cowards who pick on people who can't fight back.

And I seem to recall that at least one of the guys who beat Reginald Denny on tape (the truck driver in the LA riots) got acquitted. I could be wrong about that.

Being acquitted by an LA jury doesn't always mean that there was reasonable doubt. Sometimes it means that there was genuine reasonable doubt, but other times it means that they were snowed by a scum-sucking lawyer (which is admittedly a redundancy).

Anyway, I plan to invite my worst enemies to Los Angeles, beat them savagely on video, then shoot them, leave my DNA all over the crime scene, and explain to the cops that I went to get my gun and when I came back they were already dead.

I'm confident that an LA jury will acquit me.

[Jack]

thoreau, you ignore the possibility that OJ killed Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman but was still innocent of the crimes he was charged with (first degree murder).

[thoreau]

Jack-

So you're saying it might have been been second degree murder? I know that in some states the jury has the option of convicting a person of second degree murder instead of first degree. I don't know if things are done that way in CA.

[Mo]

Honestly thoreau, I don't think OJ did it. Nicole and Ron are dead because of OJ, but I think he hired someone to do his dirty work.

[thoreau]

Mo-

Do you think he hired somebody to put his DNA all over the place?

[Jack]

thoreau wrote: "So you're saying it might have been been second degree murder?"

No, I think it was probably voluntary manslaughter.

[Mo]

And as soon as he finds him ....

[Mo]

thoreau,
No, there's a good chance he watched it happen, but I don't think he was the trigger man.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

God, I miss the OJ case...

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"Maybe the jury acquitted Blake because his late wife was such a ghastly repulsive creature"

Yep. This broad was a total harpy and a gold digger to the extreme. Murder is murder, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep over this.

OJ, though, is a butcher. And he demonstrated how far one can go with fame, money, and racial politics. Truly, a cynic's nightmare.

MJ will definitely walk. I think everyone's guilty in this case, but the accusers need to get over the perception that they are opportunists, which they won't. If they had even the slightest chance, MJ would've paid them off years ago.

[Gary Gunnels]

Mr. Nice Guy,

One has to ask, why the hell they would let their child spend private time with MJ given his past "strange" behavior?

I guarantee you that the jury is also asking that question.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Gary:

Exactly. What kind of moron would let their kid sleep in a strange man's bed unless they're a pimp?

The great thing about this spectacle is that there are no "good guys". Everyone's a freak for our amusement.

[Robert Speirs]

Thoreau,

The problem is that a PCP freak is never "subdued" for sure. If the cops had wanted to hurt him, he probably would have suffered permanent injury? Nu? And why wasn't he prosecuted for his numerous parole violations, motor vehicle crimes and attacking a police officer?

[Gary Gunnels]

Robert Speirs,

King wasn't on PCP on the night of the beating. Now he was on PCP when he was arrested on later occassions.

[Gary Gunnels]

Robert Speirs,

The rumor that he was on PCP at the time of the beating was due to his ability to resist the 50,000 volt taser rounds that were shot into him.

Tests showed, however, as I recall, that King had neiter PCP, alcohol or any other drug in his system.

[Gary Gunnels]

The one "drug" that King was on that night was adrenaline. King is a big man and had been working out with weights (that's common for cons). Though not the brightest guy in the world, he was apparently frightened that he would go back to prison if he allowed to cops to pull him over. A high-speed chase ensued; King was in a rage by the time he was stopped; and when the cops attacked him they were going after a guy pumped up and ready for action.

[joe]

Back to Robert Blake. Ahem.

I was under the impression that Nobody Walks in L.A.

ba dum bum

[nmg]

If you are famous, you walk, especially if the victim is not very likable.

If you fail to cry during the trial and your victim is a photogenic pregnant woman, you get the death penalty. Even after some of the jurors openly admit they chose death mostly just because you didn't cry enough in trial, nobody questions the competence of the jury or the fairness of the trial.

nmg

[C. Montgomery Burns]

Well, Blake may not be a dead man, but his career is. I remember when Al Jolson ran amok at the Winter Garden and climbed the Chrysler building. After that, he couldn't get arrested in this town.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

I don't know why people mock Robert Blake. I'm constantly leaving my gun behind at restaurants. Those things are worst then sunglasses.

[Gary Gunnels]

The case against Blake was a weak one. Furthermore, the prosecution couldn't have picked worst witnesses than the two stuntmen. Their testimony was often internally inconsistent and hard to follow. Juries don't like that sort of behavior and they are likely to acquit because of it. Furthermore, there was no physical evidence linking Blake to the crime. It was a reasonable decision in light of the weak nature of the evidence and testimony.

[R C Dean]

Furthermore, there was no physical evidence linking Blake to the crime.

Just his presence, with a gun in his hand, by his own admission.

[joe]

But wasn't it proven to be a different gun?

[Jennifer]

Your plan won't work, Thoreau. One appearance on "Win Ben Stein's Money" doth not a celebrity make.

[Gary Gunnels]

R.C. Dean,

I am glad that you are not my attorney.

From the above link:

No eyewitnesses, blood or DNA evidence linked Blake to the crime. The murder weapon, found in a trash bin, could not be traced to Blake.

Whether he had a gun in his hand is irrelevant, since that gun was NOT the murder weapon. In other words, mere ownership of a gun (which appears to be your argument) is hardly a reason to convict the guy.

[Gary Gunnels]

joe,

This is another "Switzerland moment" for R.C. Dean. 🙂

[thoreau]

Jennifer-

The LAPD officers who beat Rodney King weren't celebrities either, and they got off.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I know you saw me on video shooting my worst enemies. And I know you heard that my DNA was all over the crime scene. But I swear to you that I was in a restaurant retrieving my gun when they were killed."

A few hours later...

"We the jury find the defendant not guilty."

I love LA!

[Gary Gunnels]

thoreau,

The jury deliberated for nine days. No blood, DNA, etc. linked Blake to the crime. Who are "they?" Blake was only charged with one the murder of one individual?

[thoreau]

Gary-

In my post above, "they" are the people that I plan to kill in LA. Even if the LA jury got it right on Blake, there's still OJ and the Rodney King cops to explain.

I'm going to lure my worst enemies to LA, kill them on camera, and leave my DNA all over the place. I'm confident that the jury will acquit.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

It would be weird seeing Henry David T on video going on a rampage in L.A.. I guess life at the pond was getting a bit too boring.

[smacky]

I was under the impression that Nobody Walks in L.A.

Joe,

On the contrary, the Missing Persons song is distinctly pointing out that indeed, someone is walking in L.A.: (song lyrics follow):

Look ahead as we pass, try and focus on it
I won't be fooled by a cheap cinematic trick
It must have been just a cardboard cut out of a man
Top forty cast off from a record stand

Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA

I don't know could've been a lame jogger maybe
Or someone just about to do the freeway strangler baby
Shopping cart pusher or maybe someone groovy
One thing's for sure, he isn't starring in the movies
'Cause he's walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA

Walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

You won't see a cop walkin' on the beat
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

You only see 'em drivin' cars out on the street
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

You won't see a kid walkin' home from school
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

Their mothers pick 'em up in a car pool
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA

Could it be that the smog's playing tricks on my eyes
Or is it a roller skater in some kind of headphone disguise
Maybe somebody who just ran out of gas
Making his way back to the pumps the best way he can

Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA

Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'

Nobody walks in LA

[joe]

The guy challenging the LA District Attorney should run an ad with footage of celebrity defendants walkign out of court with "Nobody Walks in LA" playing over it.

[zeroentitlement]

Hopefully this motivates Blake to hie his ass to the clinic as soon as humanly possible, and get a vasectomy. Then he won't need to kill (or have killed) those floozies of the future who are trying to get him to punch their meal tickets.

[Dan H.]

I think it was a good acquittal. Blake *probably did it, but that's not good enough. When there is zero physical evidence tying him to the crime, all you're left with is "means, motive and oppotunity". But the woman in question was apparently a horrid person who had made enemies of all kinds of rich and powerful people. She was constantly on the scam, threatening powerful people to try to get them to pay her off.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch for the prosecution to show that a person like that could have LOTS of people who wanted to kill her, and all those people have just as many means and as much opportunity as Blake.

And of course, in the process of mounting this defense you get to show what a repulsive creature this woman was, and you also get to show that of all the people she tried to scam, Blake was the one who did the 'right' thing and tried to provide for her and the child. That makes Blake sympathetic and opens up the jury's mind into thinking, "yeah, lots of people could have done this" and "anyway, perhaps killing her is somewhat understandable". Let those two thoughts germinate in a jurors mind, plus the fact that the entire case is circumstantial, and it's easy to see why Blake walked.

And it was the right decision, as far as I can tell.

[Jim Walsh]

My gut tells me he probably did it, but if I were on the jury (based on what I've heard and read) I'd have to vote for acquittal.

BTW: What ever happened to that chick from Missing Persons, anyway? Never mind, I found her (sort of):

http://cglass.vinu.edu/mp/mp.html

[cbird]

I did not watch the OJ Simpson or Robert Blake trials. I do not know if the evidence proved them guilty or innocent. What I do know is that during and after the OJ Simpson trial I was subjected to racist comments and abuse by whites.
I wonder how many Black store clerks will refuse to wait on white customers, how many whites will be subjected to retaliation, and harassed by co-workers because Robert Blake got off.