GUILTY MI - Jane Bashara, 56, dies in contract killing, Grosse Pointe Park, 25 Jan 2012 #3

[Darkman00]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120807/METRO01/208070363/Robert-Bashara-arraigned-on-solicitation-of-murder-charges?google_editors_picks=true

Bob Bashara arraigned today

Thanks .... from that Source:

Robert Bashara and his new attorney Mark Kriger during his arraignment on ... (Clarence Tabb, Jr./The Detroit New)​

... Bashara entered the courtroom of Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny with a notepad tucked under his arm and shook hands with his lawyer, Mark Kriger, who waived a formal reading of the charges.

Kenny, who was filling in for Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow, entered a not-guilty plea on Bashara's behalf. Morrow was absent Tuesday.

Kenny set a calendar conference for Aug. 17 for scheduling and motions. Morrow will preside over that hearing, he said.

The brief arraignment Tuesday came after Morrow postponed the hearing last week at the request of Bashara's former attorneys, David Griem and Christina Utley, because Kriger was tied up with an unrelated federal trial.

...

Kriger, who declined to answer additional questions from the media, told The Detroit News outside the courthouse that he makes his arguments in the courtroom under the rules of evidence.

"It doesn't serve the system to speak about a case in the press," he said. "The proper forum is in the courtroom."

Gentz, who is developmentally disabled, has twice been deemed competent to stand trial. His attorney, Susan Reed, has said the mental findings have cleared the way for plea negotiations in his case. A preliminary examination is set for Monday.

When asked Tuesday about a potential plea, Reed said, "there's nothing I can tell you about that right now."

Griem told reporters last week that Bashara will likely be charged in his wife's murder and plans to testify at both trials.

"He's always had the desire to have his story heard," Griem told reporters last Tuesday. "It's his intent to take the witness stand and tell his story."

...

Griem has said Kriger may file a motion to have the examination remanded to district court.

Kriger Tuesday declined to say whether he's planning to file a motion to have the case sent back or if he had any knowledge of additional charges coming for Bashara....

--------

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120807/METRO01/208070363#ixzz22tKEyP1M

 

[Darkman00]

Bob Bashara formally arraigned on murder-for-hire charges

Posted: 08/06/2012
Last Updated: 6 hours and 24 minutes ago

By: WXYZ.com Web Staff

--- TEXT & VIDEO ----

(WXYZ) - Bob Bashara had to face a judge Tuesday morning for some unfinished business...

...

After the arraignment, when asked for his thoughts on the case, Mark Kriger declined stating he does not comment on active cases saying, "it wouldn't be right."

------

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/wayne_county/bob-bashara-back-in-court-tuesday

 

[Darkman00]

Bashara arraigned on plotting to kill handyman

Posted: 08/07/12 01:49 pm

By Gordon Wilczynski
gordie.wilczynski@macombdaily.com

Robert Bashara, the Grosse Pointe Park businessman accused of hiring a hit man to kill his wife, Jane, was arraigned Tuesday Wayne County Chief Circuit Judge Timothy M. Kenny in Detroit.

The entire process took less than five minutes. A not guilty plea was entered for Bashara, whose next court appearance is Friday, Aug. 17, for a calendar conference before Judge Bruce Morrow.

Bashara’s new attorney Mark Kriger appeared in court with Bashara for the first time on Tuesday. He stood by his client and waived the formal reading of the charges before allowing Bashara to plead not guilty, a formality...

------

More at the Source: http://www.macombdaily.com/article/...ashara-arraigned-on-plotting-to-kill-handyman

 

[Sooner Fan#1]

Thanks for the updates!

"It doesn't serve the system to speak about a case in the press," he said. "The proper forum is in the courtroom."

I have to give the new attorney that! Maybe this circus with Greim is finally over!

 

[Darkman00]

Bashara hearing in alleged hitman plot moved to Aug. 23

12:21 PM, August 8, 2012

The next court appearance for Bob Bashara, accused of trying to hire a hitman to eliminate the handyman who might link him to his wife’s murder, has been pushed back until Aug. 23.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce U. Morrow today reset the planned Aug. 17 calendar conference that will work out the pretrial schedule for the jailed Grosse Pointe Park businessman.

------------

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20120808/NEWS02/120808048/bob-bashara-joseph-gentz-murder-trial

 

[Bravo]

Thanks for the updates!

"It doesn't serve the system to speak about a case in the press," he said. "The proper forum is in the courtroom."

I have to give the new attorney that! Maybe this circus with Greim is finally over!

Agree. How refreshing. A Lawyer with Professionalism :what: Oh and your Granddaughter is a little doll.

 

[Sooner Fan#1]

Thank you!

 

[Darkman00]

Still busy .. but here is the latest:

Joseph Gentz's preliminary trial adjourned until October

10:14 AM, August 13, 2012

The preliminary examination of handyman Joe Gentz, charged with murdering Jane Bashara, set for this afternoon was adjourned this morning by Detroit 36th District Chief Judge Kenneth King until the first week in October.

King said both defense and prosecution attorneys agreed the delay first requested by Gentz’s lawyer Susan Reed who said yesterday that she needed more time to work her way through the mass of evidence in the case. The date for the examination to determine if there is enough evidence for Gentz to stand trial will be set later, King said.

-------

Th rest is at the Source: http://www.freep.com/article/201208...z-s-preliminary-trial-adjourned-until-October

 

[Darkman00]

Joe Gentz's preliminary hearing on murder charge adjourned for today

Handyman accused of killing Grosse Pointe Park mother in January

Published On: Aug 13 2012 08:58:13 AM EDT Updated On: Aug 13 2012 10:20:53 AM EDT

-------

Read at the Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...oday/-/1719314/16086352/-/fjfnxt/-/index.html

 

[Darkman00]

Preliminary Exam Rescheduled in Joe Gentz Case

Joe Gentz, the man charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the January strangulation death of Grosse Pointe Park's Jane E. Bashara, will have his preliminary exam another time.

By Sara Eaton Martin
2:17 pm

---------

Read at the Source: http://grossepointe.patch.com/articles/preliminary-exam-rescheduled-in-gentz-case

 

[Darkman00]

Preliminary hearing for Joe Gentz in Bashara murder case postponed

------

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region...n-bashara-murder-case-postponed#ixzz23Tzaunji

 

[Darkman00]

Gentz's lawyer expects request for delay to be granted Monday

2:31 PM, August 12, 2012

The preliminary examination of Joe Gentz, the handyman who told police he killed Jane Bashara at the direction of her husband, should be adjourned Monday -- possibly for a month or more, said Gentz's lawyer Susan Reed who filed a request for the delay.

Reed said there is too much material and possible evidence to review for the hearing to take place as scheduled for Monday afternoon.

"There's a lot to go through," Reed said today.

-------

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/201208...s-lawyer-expects-request-delay-granted-Monday



---------



August 12, 2012 at 6:07 pm

Gentz' attorney seeks to delay court hearing
By George Hunter
The Detroit News

Detroit— The attorney for a handyman accused of murdering marketing executive Jane Bashara said she will ask a judge to delay Monday's scheduled preliminary examination to allow her to better prepare a defense.

Susan Reed, attorney for Joseph Gentz, said she needs more time to work on the case, in which Gentz is accused of fatally strangling Jane Bashara in her garage Jan. 24, and dumping her Mercedes-Benz SUV in an alley on Detroit's east side with the victim in the backseat.

"We're still getting things prepared," Reed said Sunday. "We're not ready to go yet."


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120812/METRO/208120339#ixzz23U1idmcN

 

[Darkman00]

New BB's defense attorney ... quite different from Griem by the looks of it...

-----

Bob Bashara's new no-flash lawyer shines with know-how, colleagues say

By Joe Swickard
Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

August 12, 2012

Mark Kriger talks to client Bob Bashara in Wayne County Circuit Court. Kriger is stepping into the midst of the nationally publicized Jane Bashara murder case and will be a publicity-averse counterpoint to Bashara's outspoken first attorney, David Griem. / Aug. 7 photo by Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press​

Defense attorney Mark Kriger says his career inspiration came from Atticus Finch, the heroic lawyer in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- and it was driven home by a Royal Oak policeman's riot stick to his head.

As a 17-year-old taking pictures for his high school newspaper, Kriger said, he was singled out in a cluster of photographers covering a student protest and got clubbed by advancing officers.

"Nine stitches, and another photographer got a picture of me with the blood coming down my face," he said, rubbing a spot on his now-receded hairline. "I understood then just how important the Bill of Rights was, standing between the people and the power of the government."

Kriger -- a veteran trial lawyer who has handled organized crime, murder, civil rights and corruption cases -- has stepped into the midst of the nationally publicized Jane Bashara murder case as the new defense attorney for her husband, Bob Bashara.

...

Kriger will be a quieter, nearly bookish, publicity-averse counterpoint to rat-a-tat televised news zingers from Bashara's first attorney, David Griem.

"From everything I've heard, he's an exceptional attorney," said Gentz's lawyer, Susan Reed, who openly clashed with Griem.

Kriger's courtroom style is also muted compared with high-octane Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey, whom he has bested in two previous murder cases. He lost, however, to Lindsey's partner Rob Moran.

Fellow lawyers caution against mistaking no comment and no drama for no game.

A bit taller and a little heavier than the 5-foot-7, 135-pound teenager who said he was pounded by police, Kriger has grown into a powerhouse of the Detroit criminal bar.

"For a skinny, unathletic guy from Huntington Woods, he's made a hell of a name for himself in the law -- and it's well-deserved," said fellow defense lawyer Steve Fishman.

Partners with attorney N.C. Deday LaRene in a downtown Detroit law firm, Kriger is known as a top legal researcher and writer.

"He may be the best pretrial motion attorney in Michigan," said Griem, who has been co-counsel with Kriger in the past. "He's a solid trial lawyer, too.

"So put the two skills together, and it may be the best legal package in the state."

------

Much more at the Source: http://www.freep.com/article/201208...sh-lawyer-shines-with-know-how-colleagues-say

 

[Darkman00]

August 14, 2012 at 5:42 pm

Plea negotiations under way in Bashara murder case

By Christine Ferretti
The Detroit News

Detroit — The attorney for a handyman charged in the January murder of Jane Bashara said Tuesday she continues to work toward a plea deal for her client in advance of an October preliminary examination on murder and conspiracy charges.

Susan Reed, the attorney for Joseph Gentz, said discussions are continuing in the case, which was adjourned Monday at Reed's request.

"There's more information I'm reviewing, so that we might work toward a plea. There are a lot of things we are going through and discussing," said Reed, adding the case is "complicated and involved."

"There is no plea agreement at this time."

Wayne County Prosecutors Tuesday said the hearing will take place the first week of October in 36th District Court. A specific date has not yet been set.

--------

More at the source from The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120814/METRO/208140447

 

[Darkman00]

Joe Gentz close to striking plea deal in Jane Bashara murder case

Gentz expected to plea, testify against Bob Bashara; more charges expected

Author: Hank Winchester, Local 4 Reporter

Published On: Aug 14 2012 05:00:42 PM EDT Updated On: Aug 14 2012 05:00:51 PM EDT

---- TEXT & VIDEO (1:21) ----

DETROIT -
Joe Gentz remains locked up while he faces charges for his role in the murder of Grosse Pointe Park mother Jane Bashara.

The Local 4 Defenders have learned not only is a deal being worked out for Gentz but that it's almost a done deal.

"Realistically they are probably trying to work out a term of years and what the charge is that Mr. Gentz would plea to," said Local 4 legal expert Todd Flood. "If they're working out anything that would be it. That would be the crux of it."

Gentz's attorney, Susan Reed, said there have been negotiations but nothing has been finalized. Progress is being made.

Local 4 is told Gentz will likely be offered a reduced charge of 2nd degree murder which could mean a minimum of 20 years in prison. A key part of the deal is that Gentz will have to testify against Bob Bashara, who is charged with solicitation of murder after police investigators say he tried to have Gentz killed while behind bars. Bashara has pleaded not guilty to that charge.

"It's going to be a murder two, and it's going to be a lengthy term of years," said Flood. "(Gentz's) guidelines are probably going to be pretty high, and I would imagine, quite frankly, that he's going to be in prison for quite some time."

When would Bashara face additional charges? Right now, there is no rush for prosecutors to bring another charge against Bashara. He remains locked up, too. Prosecutors likely will work to make sure the Gentz deal is all tied up before they possibly bring new charges against Bashara.

--------

More at the Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...case/-/1719314/16107962/-/t61bx5/-/index.html

 

[Darkman00]

(August 15) - President of the Flood Group Todd Flood talks with Paul W. Smith about the latest developmets in the Joseph Gentz/Bob Bashara and Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick cases.

Listen at the Source: http://wjr.com/FlashPlayer/default.asp?SPID=34612&ID=2513558

or Download: http://wjrpodcasts.com/podcasts/paulwsmith/Flood-081512.mp3

 

[Darkman00]

Bob Bashara returns to court Thursday to plan pretrial schedules

Bob Bashara accused of trying to have suspect in wife Jane Bashara's murder killed behind bars

Published On: Aug 22 2012 08:44:19 PM EDT Updated On: Aug 22 2012 08:47:22 PM EDT

DETROIT -
Bob Bashara will return to court Thursday for a calendar conference to plan pretrial schedules...

----------

More at the Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...les/-/1719314/16233168/-/4xh8mcz/-/index.html

 

[Darkman00]

Detroit
August 22, 2012

Gentz prelim exam rescheduled for October

By K. Michelle Moran
C & G Staff Writer

DETROIT — It will be at least several more weeks before Joseph Gentz knows whether he’ll be going on trial for the Jan. 24 murder of Grosse Pointe Park mother and marketing executive Jane Bashara.

A preliminary exam for Gentz, who has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the case, had been scheduled for Aug. 13 in front of 36th District Court Chief Judge Kenneth King, but that hearing was adjourned at the request of Gentz’s court-appointed attorney, Susan Reed.

Reed said she asked for the delay because she was still reviewing her client’s files. She declined to comment on where a possible plea deal with prosecutors might stand at this point. In a previous interview, Reed told reporters she had been discussing a plea agreement with Wayne County prosecutors for her client.

Last month, Reed said Gentz’s pretrial hearing might be waived if she and prosecutors could reach a deal before then. At that time, she said she wasn’t sure how long these talks might take, but she was hopeful they might have an agreement soon. As to the terms of such an agreement, “I won’t speculate on the numbers,” said Reed, saying she only hoped to get “the best deal possible” for her client.

...

Gentz remains behind bars at the William Dickerson facility in Hamtramck.

“He’s OK,” Reed said of her client late last week.

At press time, the prosecutor’s office said the preliminary exam would now take place the first week of October, but an exact date and time hadn’t yet been established.

As to pending legal action against Bashara’s former attorney, David Griem, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said a show-cause hearing against Griem for allegedly violating a protective order regarding discovery materials had been adjourned at Griem’s request from Aug. 15 to Sept. 4. King will hear that motion and another at the same time in 36th District Court, the spokesperson said.

Previously, Griem said he didn’t feel he had violated the protective order by sharing a piece of discovery materials with Bashara’s elderly mother, who was very concerned about her son’s case.

A calendar conference for Bashara — during which attorneys will schedule various court dates — was slated to take place at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in front of Third Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow.

------

The rest is at the Source: http://www.candgnews.com/news/gentz-prelim-exam-rescheduled-october

 

[Darkman00]

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Kriger brings new style to Bashara case

You can immediately detect the new style for Bob Bashara's new defense attorney, Mark Kriger. Kriger in his first appearance as Bashara's lawyer declined to comment today following his client's arraignment in Wayne County Circuit Court, adding he doesn't comment on a pending case.
That's certainly a different tact than taken by Bashara's prior attorney, David Griem, who talked to the press as much as journalists were willing to listen...

...

Griem's antics rub some legal observers the wrong way. But Griem would argue that he was forced into mounting a verbal counter-attack to combat all the harmful information in media reports about his client over the weeks and months following his wife's murder, via police leaks.
Kriger's style provides a glimpse into why Bashara no longer wanted Griem as his attorney. I have no inside knowledge, but I think Bashara probably believed that Griem did a good job taking him through the early stages of his defense but now he needs a lawyer who works more out of the limelight.

...

Kriger ... also didn't do something that Griem predicted he would do -- ask for a new preliminary examination at 36th District Court in Detroit.
I agreed with Griem that Bashara's new attorney would seek a new prelim because the district court judge refused to allow Griem to withdraw from the case for the probable cause hearing.
Although Kriger could still ask the new judge to remand the case back to district for a second prelim, I don't think he will now. Another prelim would allow Wayne County prosecutors to publicize their case against Bashara a second time and probably wouldn't give Kriger anything new. Kriger may have attacked the prosecution's witness a different way, but I don't think a second chance at him would be worth the negative publicity that could further taint potential jurors.

----------

Source: http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/2012/08/kriger-brings-new-style-to-bashara-case.html

 

[Darkman00]

Pretty good blog, i see, James Cook got going at Blogspot ( source is at the above post .. or blog's main page is HERE: http://courthousedish.blogspot.com )

Quite an interesing articles are there by that "court beat reporter for the Macomb Daily chronicles" who "comments on the Macomb County court scene".

Some of those articles have pretty good tidbits.

For example, among those that I glanced through, those two were quite good:

--------

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Bashara's prelim was rushed

Read at the Source: http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/2012/07/basharas-prelim-was-rushed.html

--------

Friday, June 29, 2012

“Dateline” can’t seem to get enough of Macomb area

Read at the Source: http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/2012/06/dateline-cant-seem-to-get-enough-of.html