Robert Blake – murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley

1. Robert Blake –murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley • Juror No. 5, foreman Thomas Nicholson: Case was"flimsy" and "disjointed.” "You couldn't put the gun inhis hand," Nicholson said. "There was no[gun shot residue], no blood on the clothing — there was nothing.“ (Court TV) • Juror No. 1, Lori Moore: "We just didn't have enough evidence to say whether or not he did it.“ (Court TV) • Major evidence: • Blake told many others how much he hated the victim, Bonnie Bakley • Two stuntmen testified that Blake asked them to kill Bakley • Blake unusually parked vehicle in a dark area, away from restaurant, and left Bakley inside • Blake was placed at the murder scene within a minute of the murder • Blake had a handgun (not the murder weapon) • All jurors but one thought that the stuntmen were lying

2. L.A. Times – “the C.S.I. effect” • All jurors wanted “more-convincing evidence, such as conclusive gunshot residue on Blake's hands, or a fingerprint on the murder weapon, or more precision from casual eyewitnesses about Blake's actions...” • Cecilia Maldonado, juror wanted “more of the kind of evidence she has seen in the cases on ‘CSI’.”“I just expected so much more," she said, acknowledging that such television crime shows did create ‘a higher expectation’ for her. • "There is no doubt that there's increasing expectation by jurors..." said Joshua Marquis, an Oregon prosecutor... "Prosecutors across the country are very concerned about this.“ Marquis found it disturbing that Blake jurors "seemed very dismissive of circumstantial evidence," he said. "Well, guess what? In most cases … you don't have physical evidence.“ • There is "an expectation that people from the crime labs will have super technology" to resolve a case," said Barry Scheck, a member of the O.J. Simpson defense team. Nevertheless, Scheck said he thinks the "CSI effect" wasn't a factor. "There was an absence of evidence," he said.