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Blake's bodyguard quizzed in civil case
IRVINE, California (CNN) -- The man charged along with actor Robert Blake for the murder of Blake's wife offered only two words during his civil deposition Wednesday -- his name. Earle Caldwell, Blake's former bodyguard, was deposed for almost two hours at the law offices of Eric Dubin, the civil attorney for Bonny Lee Bakley's children. The family has filed a wrongful death suit in the case. At the start of the proceeding, Caldwell was asked his name. He conferred with one of his lawyers, Arna Zlotnik, and then stated, "Earle Caldwell." He answered no other questions directly and did not make any statements. Caldwell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and has been released on $1 million bail, posted by Blake. Blake, 69, is charged with murder in the May 4, 2001, fatal shooting of Bakley, his wife of six months, outside a Studio City, California, restaurant where they had just dined. He was arrested nearly a year later and has been held without bond ever since. He has denied guilt. In Wednesday's deposition, Caldwell's lawyers ordered him not to respond after each question was posed. Unlike the deposition of Blake last week, which was also conducted by Dubin, there were no verbal fireworks among the attorneys. The proceeding was relatively low-key, and the atmosphere cordial. Attorney Bruce Armstrong offered only occasional objections. Just as he did in the Blake deposition, Dubin had the Caldwell proceeding videotaped. When the deposition ended and Caldwell had left with his attorneys, the Bakley attorney invited a few journalists to view a replay of the tape with him. The tape showed Dubin asking Caldwell a wide variety of questions -- everything from his possible knowledge of a plan to kill Bakley, to whether he himself wanted to see Bakley dead, to his preference for black or silver duct tape, to who his favorite high school teacher was. He was also asked whether he had engaged in "intimate relations" with the actor. Although Caldwell answered no questions, he would roll his eyes upward, glance side to side, or purse his lips together at certain questions posed by Dubin. At one point, he yawned. Caldwell also never put on his microphone. Eventually, Dubin ended the proceeding. Dubin told reporters afterward that what occurred was "predictable" and says he will return to court January 30 to advise the judge at a previously scheduled status conference how the deposition process has been going. "I want the entire matter to be put on hold pending the criminal trial," Dubin said. "My clients were deposed for 20 hours and answered every single question -- but now to not even have their clients state their dates of birth is clearly in bad faith." In a related occurrence, Dubin received a motion at his office Wednesday from Blake's civil attorneys, seeking an order to prevent him from any further questioning of Blake until after the criminal proceeding.
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