Bob Bashara's Exam Continued to August

Bob Bashara had been scheduled to have a preliminary exam Tuesday in 36th District Court but the hearing was continued to Aug. 19 after officials reached an agreement, according to Wayne County Prosecutor's spokeswoman Maria Miller.

Bashara was arraigned last week on murder and five other charges related to the January 2012 strangulation death of his wife, Jane Bashara. The charges were announced about 15 months after her body was found in the backseat of her SUV in Detroit.

Jane Bashara's death was ruled a homicide shortly thereafter, and the investigation into her death was been ongoing by the Wayne County Prosecutor's office since. 

Bob Bashara is charged with: 

• first degree murder
• conspiracy to commit first degree murder
• solicitation to commit murder
• suborning of perjury during a capital trial
• witness intimidation
• obstruction of justice

If convicted, Bashara faces mandatory life in prison on the first degree murder charge; up to life on each the conspiracy, solicitation and suborning counts; 15 years for witness intimidation; and five years for obstruction of justice.

Last week Bashara had asked to have the preliminary exam date farther into the future, explaining he wanted to have a chance to raise funds to hire an attorney. The judge denied setting the date any later than Tuesday, explaining if necessary he would be appointed an attorney if he did not have one by Tuesday.

The original hearing was scheduled at 1:30 p.m. That was changed to a schedule conference hearing at 9 a.m., during which he was not to appear in person. 

Following the morning hearing, Miller said, "the preliminary examination was adjourned by agreement of the parties until August 19, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. in 36th District Court in Detroit."

The preliminary exam is a hearing for the judge to determine whether sufficient evidence exists and whether the prosecutor's may proceed with the case. Generally, that hearing is scheduled within 14 days of the arraignment unless the accused waives their right to have it in that timeframe.

Bashara is already serving a prison sentence on a second, related case involving his former handyman, Joe Gentz, whom he tried to have killed while in jail to prevent him from testifying. Bashara is currently being housed in Manistee in Oaks Correctional Facility.

Gentz is serving 17 to 28 years in prison for his role in Jane Bashara's death. He is among the nearly 300 witnesses in the case. 

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