Prosecutor: Bashara Would Pose Threat If Released
DETROIT (WWJ) - Bob Bashara appeared in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday, hoping to reduce his bond -- currently set at $15 million.
Bashara is charged with hiring a hit man to kill Joe Gentz, the man who's charged with the murder of his wife, Jane. Bashara's defense attorney Mark Krieger said the court is asking for way too much.
"A $15 million bond, your honor, is no different than a $200 million or a $1 billion bond," Krieger said. "I think the idea is to get a bond that he could conceivably post but would, at the same time, assure that he remains in the community and abides by the conditions that the court imposes in any bond."
Krieger wants bond reset at $500,000.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said there is no way bond should be changed.
"He no longer has a job with United Labs. As to his ties to the community in Grosse Pointe, we have evidence that he is moving to sell his house which indicates he's certainly lessening his ties to the community."
Lindsey argued Bashara would still pose a threat as a free man, wanting to evict tenants from his apartment buildings if they talked to police.
Lindsey also said she has evidence that Bashara asked for help from a new friend, going by the name of "Obedient Slave," who he met through a domination fetish website. "He had this 'Obedient Slave' do his bidding," said Lindsey, adding that Bashara has encouraged this person to contact potential witnesses on his behalf.
Krieger disputes those claims, along with the prosecutor's contention that recorded phone calls show that members of Bashara's family have abandoned him.
"You take a snippet of a call and try to paint that as an accurate portrait of what life was really like between the two of them (Barashra and his daughter). I don't think that's fair," Krieger said.
Judge Bruce Morrow said he will render a decision by next Tuesday.
The trial is expected to begin November 12.
Meantime, Gentz remains jailed facing murder and conspiracy charges in the death of Jane Bashara, whose body was found in her Mercedes-Benz SUV in Detroit in January. Gentz has claimed Bashara paid him to kill his wife.
