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A Decade in Photos and Video of Robert Blake's Trials in Studio City

He lived on Dilling and his wife was shot on a street curb just after they left Vitello's. Court documents are also enclosed in the PDF files.

 
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Blake places a hand on the coffin bearing his slain wife. DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AFP/Getty
Photos (41)

Photos

Robert Blake, center, plays real-life killer in 'In Cold Blood.'
Blake is escorted to Parker Center police headquarters April 18, 2002.
Overview of house.
Blake's house in Studio City not far from Vitello's
A promotional portrait of actor Bill Elliott, child actor Robert Blake, and an unidentified female actor in costume from the Western 'Red Ryder' film series, circa 1945.
Billy Laughlin, Robert Blake, George McFarland, Billie Thomas and Darla Hood (seated) pose for a promotional portrait for the film series, 'Our Gang,' or also known as 'Little Rascals,' in 1940.
Videos (6)

Videos

The arrest of Robert Blake
A young Robert Blake talks about how horrible it would be to be confined on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show.'
Candid interview for TMZ about the horrors of being confined.
Pdfs (1)

Pdfs

Actor Robert Blake was a longtime resident of Studio City when he married Bonny Lee Bakley on the grounds of his home at Dilling and Troost. 

Although their house was a brisk walk to Vitello's in Tujunga Village, the couple would almost always drive to go to their favorite restaurant—often two or three times a week—and they would always park on the street rather than valet park in the restaurant's small parking lot.

The crime remains unsolved, and to date, no one has been prosecuted for the shooting. 

For a long time, even a decade later, Vitello's remains associated with the incident, but is now in a reboot with a variety of changes.

Check out the photo essay of Blake and his connection to Studio City. 

He moved to Hidden Hills in a closed community, and rarely makes public appearances. It was a surprise to see him at the Republic Pictures 75th Anniversary party held last September at the CBS Studios lot.

On a personal note, I got to know Blake rather well when he was walking with the Great Peace March across the country, starting in the San Fernando Valley and including a lot of Studio City residents in 1986. The Daily News of Los Angeles had me check in every two weeks and often fly out to join the marchers, and Blake was always one of the first ones I checked in with, or he called me regularly from the road.

When I saw him last year, he remembered, and I asked him if I could talk to him about this particular anniversary as May 4 loomed. "What anniversary?" he asked. "Oh, that, no way. No way, man."

10 Years After Robert Blake Scandal, Vitello's Reboots

See video of the Robert Blake arrest and other video montages above.

About this column: Do you have a photo essay of something local? Send it in to share for all to see. Find photo stories of 10, 20 or more photos. Or do you have just one great shot? Share it! Just upload the photo or video and add it to the gallery.

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