Suspects Held in Theft of Blake Attorney’s Computer

Police arrested two teenagers in the theft of a computer and equipment from the lawyer representing actor Robert Blake in his trial for the shooting death of his wife.

Los Angeles detectives said there was no indication of whether the theft earlier this month from the lawyer’s apartment was related to the trial. The items were found at a pawn shop in Van Nuys, police said.

The arrests were announced this morning at a hastily convened hearing at the courthouse in Van Nuys.

Judge Darlene E. Schempp met in chambers with the attorney, M. Gerald Schwartzbach; a special master appointed to oversee the theft investigation, attorney James Blatt; and the detectives. The judge then announced the arrests.

The items, a computer and backup memory devices, were returned to Schwartzbach, Schempp said. He had said they contained information crucial to the case.

A previously scheduled evidence hearing takes place Thursday, and opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

Detectives identified the men, arrested Monday, as Koi Burton, 18, of Los Angeles, and Michael Washington, 19, also of Los Angeles.

The nearly 4-year-old murder case has been plagued by delays. Police took almost a year after the killing of Bonny Lee Bakley to arrest Blake, then a bail appeal and a shuffling of defense lawyers led to several postponements.

Blake, 71, faces life in prison if convicted of the May 2001 killing of Bakley, 44, as she sat alone in his parked car near a Studio City restaurant where the couple had dined.