Bob Bashara expected to testify in effort to get new trial

Bashara offered testimony on his own behalf to try and show he was a compassionate person and to counter impressions that he may have killed his wife so he could carry on with a kinky sex life.

Bashara, a 57-year-old former Grosse Pointe Park businessman, was convicted in December in the death of Jane Bashara.

Almost 500 pieces of evidence were presented, more than 70 witnesses took the stand, and sometimes salacious testimony about dungeons, whippings and sex parties peppered the 10-week trial.

Bashara now says his trial was unfair and just wants the truth out.

“I have no clue why I would say that because it’s untrue”, he responded. Bashara was convicted of five counts, including first-degree murder, in the 2012 killing of his wife. Her body was found in her Mercedes SUV on January 24, 2012, in an alley near Pinewood and Annott in Detroit.

Bashara didn’t testify but repeatedly professed his innocence in the weeks after his wife’s death, even attending a candlelight vigil in her honor.

The convicted murderer took the witness stand Wednesday after being sworn in and advised of his right to remain silent – and, then, seconds later, he was told by Wayne Circuit Judge Vonda Evans to stand down. As part of the deal, he agreed to testify, but later refused.

During the trial, Bashara was already in prison for trying to have Gentz killed in jail in 2012.

Evans said she had other cases on Wednesday’s docket and that’s Bashara’s testimony might take several hours.

Bashara testified Thursday that Grosse Pointe Park Police Chief David Hiller holds a grudge against him for a criminal sexual conduct investigation against Bashara back in 1995.

Bashara’s former attorney, Michael McCarthy, previously testified that calling Hiller wouldn’t have helped the defense and could have “opened up a can of worms” that had to do with the allegation.

Prosecutors also brought up his past.

Bashara was accused of inappropriately touching his 5-year-old niece, but was never charged. Prosecutors argue that in a letter, Bashara said otherwise and praised his defense team.

Bashara is serving his life sentence at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.