Detroit Watches as Bob Bashara Goes to Trial

Detroit Watches as Bob Bashara Goes to Trial

Have you followed the Bob Bashara case?

Do you think he did it?

It was over two and a half years ago when Jane Bashara was found dead in her Mercedes-Benz SUV, and everything quickly changed for one family. This true crime story has been full of twists that no one saw coming.

As Bob Bashara goes to trial this week for the murder of his wife and many other charges, let’s review what has happened over the last few years to bring him to this point.

The Mother of Two

Jane Bashara, a mother-of-two and a marketing executive for DTE Energy, was found strangled in her SUV on January 25, 2012. The story that unfolded from that point on has shocked not only those from the Grosse Pointe Community, which the Basharas are from, but also the country.

What was so difficult at first to understand was how something like this could happen to such a perfect Grosse Pointe family. Bob Bashara himself was a Rotary Club member and a charity fund raiser.

The First Twist

It wasn’t long, however, before Bob became the prime suspect in the case.

Originally, Bob Bashara was the one who called friends when his wife went missing and then called the police.

However, in February, the Basharas’ handyman Joseph Gentz, a 6 foot 4 inch, 225 pound man with a lower than average IQ, walked into the Grosse Point Park Department of Public Safety and confessed to killing Mrs. Bashara at her husband’s orders.

Joseph Gentz went to trial, pleaded guilty to second degree murder and according to the Detroit Free Press is now serving 17-28 years in prison.

In June of that year, Bob Bashara pleaded guilty of trying to have someone kill Joseph Gentz in prison and was sentenced to 80 months to 20 years in prison.

Another Twist

Soon all of Detroit heard about Bob Bashara’s scandalous personal life. Bob wasn’t only having an affair, but the Free Press reported that he had a sex dungeon on one of his commercial properties.

The Prosecutors reported that for years before the murder of Jane Bashara, Bob met females through BDSM websites. He would then engage in a relationship with these women.

The Prosecutors will use Bob Bashara’s interest in BDSM to show that the marriage between Jane and Bob was stressed and even the source of the stress.

Another point the Prosecutors will use is the testimony that Bob Bashara was actually planning a new life when his wife went missing. He had been having an affair and was planning on bringing another woman into his life so that he and his two mistresses could live together in a house he was intending on purchasing.

The Trial

On Tuesday, jury selections began and soon the trial will be under way. It is expected that this trial will last 4-6 weeks with dozens of witnesses to testify.

Your Turn

What do you think? Do you think that Bob ordered Joseph Gentz to kill his wife? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you are wondering about jury deliberations, please see An Inside Look into Jury Deliberations.