Delinah Blake became Rose Lenore Blake's legal guardian following her mother's death. Rose is Delinah's younger half-sister, born in her father's second marriage to the late Bonny Lee Bakley. Robert was accused and stood trial for Bonny's murder.
In 2002, late actor Robert Blake was charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, the mother of his youngest child, Rose Lenore Blake. His eldest daughter, Delinah Blake, was the first person he called following his arrest.
Delinah appeared on television and spoke about the matter soon after. She disapproved of how her father was taken into custody despite his cooperation with the police since Bonny's death the previous year in May.
Delinah Blake exits the Van Nuys Superior courthouse after a hearing in her father's case on June 18, 2002, in Van Nuys, California. | Source: Getty Images
"It was ridiculous that they had to raid the house … and have all of these cop cars and have all of the media. Why couldn't they just come with one officer and walk my father out?" she said, adding that Robert had no criminal or violent history.
Delinah also didn't like that the media had already painted her father as the culprit. Soon after his arrest, she became her younger sister's guardian. Many years later, Rose spoke about coping with her mother's death and her relationship with her dad.
Delinah Blake Won Custody of Rose Lenore Blake
In July 2002, news broke that Delinah had won permanent legal guardianship of her baby sister. Rose's maternal aunt, Margerry Bakley, had filed a request to delay the judge's decision while she sought a family attorney; however, it was denied.
Delinah had petitioned to be Rose's guardian, writing that she had helped her dad care for the youngster since September 2000. Additionally, she argued that as a clinical psychologist who worked with neglected and abused children and as her half-sister, she was qualified to care for Rose.
(L-R) Unidentified man, Delinah Blake holding Rose Lenore Blake, Robert Blake, and Noah Blake walk to the gravesite of Bonny Lee Bakley during a brief funeral ceremony on May 25, 2001, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Delinah Blake Raised Rose Lenore Blake in Los Angeles
Delinah kept their lives hidden from the public eye and has maintained that privacy. The mom of two is Robert's second child, following his son, Noah Blake, also born to Sondra. Noah is an actor and producer.
He is best known for "Teen Witch" and the thriller series "Red Rooms." He also appeared in the 1999 fantasy comedy, "Mystery Men," alongside Ben Stiller and Kel Mitchell. Like Noah, Rose, who goes by Rose Lenore Sophia Blake Hurwitz on her Instagram, also plans to pursue acting.
Robert Blake poses with his children, Delinah and Noah, at the Emmy Awards on September 1, 1977, in Pasadena, California. | Source: Getty Images
Delinah Blake's Baby Sister Opened Up about Her Relationship with Her Father
After Robert's arrest, Delinah shared that young Rose often asked about her father. "She talked to him on the phone the other day. And he was singing to her – I think – and I said, 'Are you done?' And she said, 'No, more.' And she held the phone to her ear, and she just kept listening," she recalled at the time.
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