LOS ANGELES – A judge Friday reluctantly granted actor Robert Blake (search) a two-month delay in his murder trial, with jury selection now set to start Nov. 1.
Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp relented after Blake's new attorney asked for more time and prosecutors did not object.
"I have looked at the case with different eyes than people who preceded me and I'm pursuing things that have not been pursued," said M. Gerald Schwartzbach, who became Blake's attorney after Thomas Mesereau Jr. resigned in a dispute with the actor.
Prosecutor Shellie Samuels told the judge she anticipates a two-month trial, while Schwartzbach said his estimate is four months. The trial had been scheduled to get under way on Sept. 9.
Blake, the former star of the "Baretta" (search) TV series, is charged with murdering his 44-year-old wife, Bonny Bakley (search), on May 4, 2001. She was shot to death in their car outside a restaurant where they had dined. Blake, 70, has said he is innocent.
Outside court, Schwartzbach was asked what he meant about viewing the case with new eyes.
"Every lawyer is going to come into a case and view it from a different perspective," said Schwartzbach, the fourth attorney to represent Blake. "A lawsuit is like a piece of modern art. Every time you come back and look at it you see things you didn't see before."
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