Crime

Six Takeaways From Bob Bashara's Court Hearing Tuesday

September 10, 2013, 5:02 PM

Testimony continued Tuesday in the preliminary examination of Bob Bashara to determine if there is enough evidence to have Bashara stand trial for the murder of his wife, Jane.

The death of Jane Bashara, a popular marketing executive from Grosse Pointe Park, and the kinky details of her husband's lifestyle, have captured national attention since she was was strangled in her garage in January 2012 and her body was dumped in an East Side Detroit alley inside her Mercedes SUV.

Bashara, 55, has been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, suborning of perjury during a capital trial, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.

Bashara already is serving a 6- to 20-year sentence after he pleaded guilty in October to trying to hire a furniture store owner to kill Joe Gentz while the St. Clair Shores handyman was in jail.

Gentz pleaded guilty to killing Jane Bashara and was sentenced to 17-28 years in prison. He also has maintained Bashara hired him to commit the murder.

Testimony from seven witnesses Tuesday included these allegations:

*Bashara snorted cocaine in a car near Six Mile and Woodward, started sobbing and suggested to a former tenant that he had his wife killed. Bashara said going through a divorce would cost too much. 

*In the months before Jane's death, Bob Bashara called his mistress and sex slave, Rachel Gillett, 1,026 times. He made nearly 500 calls To Gentz, whom he later said he hardly knew. 

*Bashara offered that tenant money to call in a fake tip to police to throw them off the trail.

*A physician from the medical examiner's office testified Jane Bashara's death was slow and painful. She suffered multiple bruising on her upper body, a crushed windpipe and bleeding in the brain.

*Bashara appeared to cry during the description of his wife's death.

*Despite money problems at times, Jane and Bob Bashara belonged to the Lochmoor Country Club in Grosse Pointe Woods, which is sweet, but not as monied as the County Club of Detroit nearby in Grosse Pointe Farms. 



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