Vitello’s Restaurant To Auction Booth Where Actor Robert Blake And Murdered Wife Shared Last Meal

The restaurant booth where Robert Blake and his wife Bonny Lee Bakley sat and ate on the evening of her murder will be auctioned on eBay.

Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City, Calif., is getting an extreme makeover, and the owners are seeking “positive energy” in the refurbished eatery according to TMZ:

As a result, Vitello’s is selling off anything that might give off bad vibes — including the booth where Blake and his wife ate the fateful night she was shot and killed outside the restaurant back in 2001…

In fact, the table played a KEY ROLE in Blake’s alibi — he told police he couldn’t have shot his wife because he was inside the restaurant at the time retrieving a gun he left on the table.

Bakley was killed by a gunshot to the head while sitting in their car, which was parked around the corner from the restaurant, while waiting for Blake to return. Police tested his gun, a .38 caliber pistol, and it turned out not to be the murder weapon.

Vitello’s apparently was Blake’s favorite restaurant, and he had dinner in that very booth on more than one occasion. If you are into Hollywood memorabilia, the bidding will reportedly start at $1,000.

In 2005, Robert Blake went on trial in Los Angeles County for Bakley’s murder but was found not guilty. That same year, he was fund liable in civil court for wrongful death in a $30-million lawsuit brought by Bakley’s children.

Blake was a successful child actor who is probably best known for his role in the movie In Cold Blood as well as the title character on the TV series Baretta in the 1970s for which he received an Emmy.

On July 11, Robert Blake sat for a very contentious interview on CNN. Here is a portion of that interview:

[image credit: Haritol]