Who Was Bonny Lee Bakley? Inside Her Scandalous Life and Tragic Death
Bonny Lee Bakley (1956–2001) was a figure whose relentless pursuit of Hollywood celebrity and wealth through dubious means culminated in a sensational murder that shocked the entertainment world. Her life was characterized by a complex web of identity fraud, exploitation, and numerous failed marriages, often targeting older or famous men. The culmination of her chaotic existence occurred on May 4, 2001, when she was fatally shot outside a Studio City restaurant, an event that led to the highly publicized murder trial of her husband, veteran actor Robert Blake. Her story serves as a dark cautionary tale about the intersection of celebrity obsession and organized deception in Los Angeles.
The Relentless Pursuit of Fame and Fortune
Born in New Jersey in 1956, Bakley’s early life offered few indicators of the notoriety she would eventually achieve. Raised primarily in Dallas, Texas, she harbored a deep-seated ambition to live among the rich and famous, a desire that soon evolved into a sophisticated, decades-long pattern of calculated schemes. Bakley understood that proximity to celebrity was a currency, and she spent much of her adult life attempting to monetize that proximity.
By her early twenties, Bakley had begun a cycle of marriages, often involving older men she met through personal ads or, later, through highly organized mail-order bride schemes. These relationships were typically short-lived, serving primarily to provide financial support or a change of scenery. She was married nine times before her death, often simultaneously initiating relationships with several men, leading to legal complications and accusations of bigamy.
A Career Built on Identity Fraud
Bakley’s primary source of income and notoriety stemmed from her ability to manipulate the legal and financial systems. Utilizing aliases and sophisticated identity fraud techniques, she ran numerous scams aimed at extracting money from vulnerable or wealthy individuals. These schemes often involved promising companionship or sexual favors in exchange for cash or investments, only to disappear once the money was secured.
One notorious example of her reach involved attempts to capitalize on the 1991 Rodney King civil suit. Bakley allegedly contacted members of the Los Angeles Police Department and others involved in the case, claiming to have crucial information or offering to sell fabricated stories to tabloids. Investigators later found extensive evidence of her using false identities and forged documents related to these attempts.
The sheer scale of her operations was staggering. Records seized by law enforcement after her death revealed thousands of pages of personal correspondence, phone records, and financial documents, illustrating a meticulously organized system of deception. She maintained detailed logs of potential targets, categorized by wealth, age, and potential celebrity connection. Law enforcement sources, speaking anonymously during the investigation, often described her as a "professional predator," whose primary goal was infiltration into the upper echelons of Hollywood.
The Fascination with Hollywood Royalty
As the 1990s progressed, Bakley focused her schemes almost exclusively on Hollywood figures. She was determined to have a child with a famous man, believing that such a connection would guarantee her financial security and, crucially, the fame she craved. Her targets included figures ranging from musicians to producers, but her most significant entanglement outside of her final marriage involved the Brando family.
In 1999, Bakley gave birth to a daughter, legally naming the father Christian Brando, the troubled son of acting icon Marlon Brando. Bakley had pursued Christian Brando intensely, and while he admitted to a relationship, he vehemently denied being the father until DNA tests confirmed his paternity. This connection gave Bakley the access and attention she had long desired, plunging her directly into the orbit of Hollywood’s most notorious families.
The relationship with Christian Brando was volatile and marked by constant demands for money and attention from Bakley. This period of her life perfectly encapsulated her modus operandi: leveraging sexual relationships and paternity claims to secure a permanent financial foothold in the world of the elite.
The Tumultuous Relationship with Robert Blake
Bonny Lee Bakley met actor Robert Blake, famous for his roles in *In Cold Blood* and the TV series *Baretta*, in 1999 at a jazz club. Blake, decades older than Bakley, was a highly private and volatile figure who had largely retreated from the public eye. Despite their vastly different backgrounds—Blake an established, albeit troubled, acting legend; Bakley a hustler with a reputation for identity fraud—they began a relationship.
The relationship quickly descended into chaos. Bakley became pregnant, and while she initially claimed the child was Christian Brando’s, subsequent DNA testing confirmed Blake as the father. Blake, who had been fiercely protective of his privacy, was horrified by the realization that he was tied to Bakley’s scandalous world. He reportedly viewed her as morally repugnant, but felt compelled by duty to acknowledge the child, a daughter named Rose, later renamed Rosie.
Under pressure, and primarily for the sake of the child, Blake married Bakley in November 2000. However, the marriage was a formality; the couple never lived together as husband and wife. Blake maintained a separate residence and reportedly viewed their union as a transactional necessity dictated by Bakley’s relentless demands and his desire to protect his daughter.
According to court documents and testimony presented later, Blake described their relationship as a constant source of stress and mistrust. He claimed Bakley often continued her deceitful schemes even after their marriage, communicating with other men and attempting to sell stories about Blake to tabloids.
As one observer of the celebrity justice system noted during the subsequent legal proceedings, "Bonny Lee Bakley was the ultimate collision of the desire for fame and the willingness to exploit anyone to get it. She didn't just want Hollywood's money; she wanted its DNA."
The Night of May 4, 2001
The scandalous life of Bonny Lee Bakley came to an abrupt and violent end on the evening of May 4, 2001, in the Van Nuys area of Studio City, California.
On that night, Bakley and Robert Blake dined at Vitello’s Restaurant, a modest Italian eatery. Blake later testified that after the meal, they returned to his parked 1991 Dodge Stealth, where Bakley was waiting while Blake briefly walked back into the restaurant. Blake claimed he had forgotten a handgun he carried for protection—a .38 Special revolver—that he had left in the booth.
When Blake returned to the car, he found Bakley slumped over in the passenger seat, having been shot once in the head. She was rushed to the hospital but died shortly thereafter. The murder weapon, later identified as a World War II-era German Walther P38 pistol, was found nearby in a dumpster.
The Investigation and Robert Blake’s Arrest
The investigation immediately focused on Robert Blake. His erratic behavior, the tumultuous nature of the relationship, and the fact that he was the only witness raised immediate suspicion. Police surveillance and wiretaps were implemented, gathering evidence over the subsequent months. The prosecution’s theory centered on Blake hiring a hitman or committing the murder himself, driven by his contempt for Bakley and his desire to escape the marriage and protect his reputation and assets.
In April 2002, nearly a year after the murder, Robert Blake was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. The highly anticipated trial that followed became a media spectacle, pitting the narrative of a scorned actor against the narrative of a dangerous victim whose lifestyle had ultimately caught up to her.
The Sensational Murder Trial
The criminal trial of Robert Blake, which began in 2004, relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of two alleged associates of Blake, both of whom claimed Blake had solicited them to murder Bakley. The defense team, however, successfully dismantled the credibility of these witnesses, portraying them as unreliable drug addicts seeking reward money.
The defense strategy focused intensely on Bonny Lee Bakley’s character. They argued that her extensive history of identity fraud, her involvement with organized crime figures, and her continuous attempts to exploit people meant she had countless enemies. The defense argued that any one of these disgruntled individuals could have been responsible for the shooting.
In March 2005, the jury delivered a stunning verdict: Not Guilty. The jury found that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Blake was the killer. The acquittal left the question of who murdered Bonny Lee Bakley officially unanswered.
The Civil Judgment and Financial Aftermath
Despite the criminal acquittal, the legal battles were not over. In November 2005, Bakley’s children filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Blake. In the civil court, the burden of proof is significantly lower than in a criminal court (preponderance of the evidence, rather than beyond a reasonable doubt).
The civil jury found Robert Blake liable for the wrongful death of Bonny Lee Bakley and ordered him to pay $30 million in damages (later reduced on appeal). This civil judgment, while not establishing criminal guilt, provided a measure of closure for Bakley’s family, legally declaring Blake responsible for her death, if not criminally, then financially. The result underscored the deep divisions and ambiguities surrounding the case.
The tragic death of Bonny Lee Bakley brought an end to a life defined by relentless ambition and deception. Her story remains a prominent fixture in the annals of Hollywood crime, symbolizing the dark underbelly of celebrity obsession, identity fraud, and the corrosive effects of a life lived perpetually on the edge of legality. The unanswered questions surrounding the identity of her killer continue to fuel speculation, ensuring that the legacy of Bonny Lee Bakley—the schemer, the wife, and the victim—endures. 
