Bob Bashara's Appeal Denied By Michigan Supreme Court

DETROIT, MI — The Michigan Supreme Court has denied Bob Bashara's appeal of a Court of Appeals ruling to uphold his convictions in his wife's 2012 murder. The Michigan Court of Appeals announced its ruling to uphold the convictions in September 2017 when he was found guilty for hiring a developmentally disabled handyman to murder his wife Jane Bashara. Bashara appealed that judgment, but the high court has denied his appeal.

The high court released a pithy statement about the decision: " ... because we are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court," reads a statement from the Michigan Supreme Court.

The former Grosse Pointe Park businessman was sentenced to life in prison in January 2015 after he was convicted of plotting to have his wife killed. Bashara also was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison for a solicitation of murder conviction, 1 to 5 years in prison for an obstruction of justice conviction, and 2 to 10 years in prison for bribing, intimidating, or interfering with a witness conviction, according to court records.

Bashara appealed his convictions and life sentence, claiming his rights were violated by an ineffective defense. He also claimed he was denied a fair trial.

The appeals court did not accept it and released this statement with its ruling:

"The thousands of pages of transcripts and lower court filings in this case unmistakably show that the defense vigorously advocated for defendant in the trial court, attempting to demonstrate reasonable doubt or error by emphasizing inconsistencies in witness testimony and isolated facts that obscure the clear trajectory of the events giving rise to Jane Bashara’s murder. Belying the voluminous lower court record and the multitude of protestations by defendant to the contrary, this case is straightforward. In considering the chronology of the events giving rise to Jane’s death, it is clear that the jury reached the correct result."

Jane Bashara was found dead Jan. 25, 2012 in the back of her SUV in an alley in Detroit. It was just miles from the couple's home in Grosse Pointe Park. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled. Joe Gentz, who worked as Bob Bashara's handyman, admitted he strangled Jane in the couple's Grosse Pointe Park garage.

Authorities said her husband arranged to have her killed by Gentz so he could pursue his BDSM lifestyle as "Master Bob" with a mistress and other women. Gentz is serving a 17-to-28-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in Jane's death.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller said in a statement after the denial: "The Michigan Supreme Court correctly denied Bashara’s leave to appeal. He will have the rest of his life in prison to reflect upon the cruel murder of his wife, and the devastating consequences for his children, family members, and the many friends of Jane Bashara."

Photo courtesy Michigan Department of Corrections