Crime & Safety

Update: Bashara Attorney Says Client Did Not Kill His Wife

The attorney representing Bob Bashara in connection with the strangulation death of his wife, Jane Bashara, held a press conference Friday at his office to answer questions of the media.

Following three days of his secretary being bombarded with about 360 media requests for interviews, attorney David Griem made the decision to not return calls but instead to hold a press conference at his law offices in downtown Detroit on Friday related to his client Bob Bashara.

in the , , whose .

Among the highlights:

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  • Griem said he does not believe Bob Bashara killed his wife.
  • Griem has a timeline of his whereabouts the day Jane presumably died that is mostly complete but does not account for his every moment that day.
  • Griem said reports about Bob Bashara's sex life are untrue.

Griem emphasized the effect the coverage is having on the Bashara children, Rob, 23, and Jessica, 20, saying for their sake more than anyone else's he hopes the case is solved.

He also talked a great deal about and was an accomplice in the crime. The man was still in custody as of 1:30 p.m. Friday but had not yet been charged with a crime. 

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The man, who previously lived in St. Clair Shores and most recently lived in Grosse Pointe Park, has given police at least six conflicting accounts of what happened to Jane Bashara, Griem said, saying it wouldn't surprise him if additional accounts continue coming.

Griem told many members of the media he did not have answers to questions about whether Bob Bashara is in any financial trouble, whether any life insurance policies existed and whether Bob Bashara was faithful to his wife. He did say from the children's perspective and many in the community that their marriage appeared to be good. They had been married for 26 years.

But many reports following Jane Bashara's death have suggested the marriage was not always happy.

Griem also posed a few different scenerios related to Jane Bashara's death, including:

  • That a robber was interrupted while parked behind the vacant house near 7 Mile and Hoover roads and abandoned the rest of the crime.
  • That the man in custody came to the house to collect on money he believed he was owed by Bob Bashara for work he had done, encountered Jane and an escalating argument ensued, leading to him strangling her.

He also emphasized that the man was on a list of three people Bob Bashara gave to police days before he turned himself in as a potential threat to the Bashara family. The man had done handyman work at Bashara's many rental properties, both residential and commericial, and there had been a recent dispute about the amount of money the man believed Bob Bashara owed him.

The day before Jane Bashara's death, Bob Bashara paid the man with a personal check as a small part of the few thousand the man believed he was owed, Griem said. They disagreed about the amount so Bashara was paying him in small increments and stretching it over time, Griem said.

Now, of course, Griem said, Bob Bashara wishes he had simply paid the man the full amount and been done with him.

Griem's other emphasis related and the . He repeatedly said the leaks were from within the Grosse Pointe Park Department of Public Safety but not from the administration or even higher ups. Detroit Police are also working on the investigation since Jane Bashara's body was found in Detroit.

He said the leaks will be troubling if he ever has to pick a jury, which he hopes will not happen. He does not believe his client will be charged in the death of his wife, but is prepared should that happen. An agreement has been reached with the prosecutor's office that if he is charged, he will turn himself in rather than having a dramatic arrest outside his home, Griem said.

Bob Bashara took a second polygraph test this week through an administrator hired by Griem and the results were positive, Griem said. He said the reason he had Bob Bashara complete a second polygraph was due to the leaking of information to the media about his failure of the first one administered through the police department. He also questions the results of the police-administered polygraph.

He could not answer why Bob Bashara has never outwardly said he did not kill his wife, but said his comments earlier this week thanking the community for support were because he wanted to address the media. Griem agreed to let him talk to the media because of his desire to do so, he said.

During the nearly two-hour press conference, more than a dozen outlets questioned Griem in a mostly orderly fashion about the details of the case and the investigation. All of the local media were present in addition to a representative from 48 Hours television show.

Griem said he would expect that something would have to happen today related to the man in custody but is not aware of what that will be, referring to the 72-hour hold rule for law enforcement during investigations without charges. Meanwhile, he does not expect anything to come forward for Bob Bashara today and Griem is actually leaving town for the weekend, he said.


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