Angry Robert Blake To Piers Morgan: 'I'm Not A Liar'
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An emotional and defiant Robert Blake appeared on "Piers Morgan Tonight," his first big TV interview since the actor was acquitted of charges related to the death of his wife.
Morgan said it was one of the most bizarre interviews he had ever done after the former "Baretta" star made threats and often insulted the show's host.
Blake's wife Bonnie Lee Bakley was fatally shot outside Vitello's Restaurant in Studio City in 2001.
The one-time child actor accused Morgan of "not doing his homework," for "being boring" and "having an agenda." At another point he mockingly called Morgan "Mr. Research."
Dressed in a black cowboy hat and sleeveless shirt, the 70-year-old Blake was fired up during his one-hour interview.
At another point, he accused Morgan of unfairly accusing him: "You called me a liar, and I'm not a liar."
Blake said he wrote a new book to discuss his life, not to bring up stories about his murder trial -- something he accused Morgan of being obsessed with. "That's not what the book is about," he kept saying.
At one point Blake snapped, "I had $25 million dollars. Why would I have married her... to kill her? That makes no sense. Why would I take her out to dinner?"
During the interview he also railed against the cops, said others in Hollywood like record producer Phil Spector got preferential treatment, and said his fortune dwindled to nothing due to legal fees. "I can't afford to buy spats for a hummingbird," he said several times.
Blake, one of the stars of the 1967 film "In Cold Blood," was acquitted in 2005 of murder charges regarding his wife's 2001 shooting. Blake was later found liable in a civil suit for his wife's wrongful death.
Blake now lives in a Sherman Oaks apartment complex.
CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Suraya Fadel made several attempts to reach Blake at his residence but got no response.
