Crime & Safety

Bob Bashara to be Arraigned Wednesday

Bob Bashara will make his first appearance in 36th District Court Wednesday on charges related to his wife's death. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced charges against Bob Bashara earlier this month.

Bob Bashara will be brought back to Detroit this week to make his first appearance in 36th District Court on new charges stemming from the January 2012 strangulation death of his wife, Jane E. Bashara. 

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the new charges April 17 nearly 15 months after Jane Bashara's body was found in the backseat of her SUV in a residential alley in Detroit near 7 Mile and Hoover. 

Bob Bashara had denied any involvement in her death, which was ruled a homcide, but he was identified as a "person of interest" early on in the investigation. 

Find out what's happening in Grosse Pointewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Worthy described the investigation as spanning several states, involving multiple computers and thousands of documents in addition to involving nearly 300 witnesses. In addressing the length of time since Jane Bashara's death and when charges were filed, Worthy said having a solid case is more efficient in the longrun than filing prematurely and having to make changes while trying to prosecute. 

Bob Bashara is charged with: 

Find out what's happening in Grosse Pointewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • 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

Bashara is currently 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 one of the prosecution's witnesses against Bashara. Gentz agreed to testifiy against anyone else charged in the case in a plea agreement. He is serving a prison sentence as well on murder and conspiracy charges in Jane Bashara's death. 

Bob Bashara is to appear before a judge Wednesday afternoon.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.