Grosse Pointe Murder: Bob Bashara Denies Any Involvement in Wife's Death
Bashara told a local newspaper that he loved his wife and still looks for her.
Feb. 5, 2012 — -- The husband of a Michigan woman found strangled to death in her Mercedes SUV spoke tearfully about his wife Jane and denied any involvement in her murder in a new interview this weekend.
"I had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to her," Bob Bashara said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press newspaper.
Jane Bashara was found dead on Jan. 25 inside her SUV.
Bashara said since his wife's murder two weeks ago his life has been "under seige" and his "tear glands are empty."
"I certainly have done everything and will continue to do everything to cooperate to find out who did this to my Jane, the fact that they've named the person of interest is unthinkable to me that they think I could harm my sweetheart," Bashara told the Free Press.
Bashara admitted his marriage had ups and downs and that a year ago he and his wife went to a marriage counselor, but says there was never any talk of divorce.
He also spoke at length about Joe Gentz, who told police Bashara allegedly paid him to kill his wife.
Bashara said he didn't know Joe Gentz well, but admitted that the two had a dispute over a $600 power bill with Gentz claiming he was owed money.
"I'll tell you because he kept calling me," he said. "And the tone of his calls over the past three or four weeks got a little more insistent.'I need some money. I know you've helped me out, but I need more money,'" Bashara told the Detroit Free Press.
He said he feels betrayed that the police won't protect his family from Gentz, who police released last week.
"The fact that they said to call 911 if anything was suspicious was a slap in the face to us," Bashara told the Free Press.
Bashara told the paper he loved his wife and still looks for her.
"Several times I've looked over for her, I realize she's not there. It's very disheartening because for 26 plus years, there she was. Everything, the reminders are constant and strong. I feel her every day. I miss her terribly," Bashara told the Free Press.
Bashara Denies Affair and Involvement in S&M
Bashara also denied allegations of an affair and any involvement in the world of S & M.
"You know what? I don't want to get into that because I have my children to worry about," Bashara told the Detroit Free Press.
In a news conference Friday, Bashara's attorney David Griem brushed off reports of Bashara's extramarital affair and interest in S&M as irrelevant to the case, telling ABC News that Bashara's lifestyle would not determine whether he was innocent or guilty.
"Whether or not Bob has an alternative lifestyle, that doesn't make him a criminal. That doesn't make him a wife-killer. What it does, it makes it very difficult for us to get a fair trial if he's charged," Griem said.
Griem expressed some apprehension that if his client were to be charged, a potential jury pool would be tainted by stories of an abnormal sex life.
"My concern is, there is a segment of population in this country that if you're not living the type of life they are, if you're not as pure as they are, you're a bad person. That scares the crap out of me, because I can't bring that out in jury selection," he said.
The comments were in response to a Detroit dominatrix named Lady Geanna, who told WXYZ-TV that Bashara hosted S&M sex parties in a basement below a bar he owned, the Hard Luck Lounge.
"Several of my clients or slaves have called me today. Since this has come out I've had like over 20 phone calls. They are all people who have been to his parties and asked if I was involved with them," she said Friday.
The clients are apparently worried their identities could be revealed.
"Some of them were worried there might have been hidden cameras, things like that," she said.
Geanna claims Bashara was a "master," meaning he would take charge during S&M sessions. The local dominatrix said Bashara reached out to her after seeing her ads in a local paper.
Bashara also allegedly had a mistress, a 50-year-old woman named Rachel, who has spoken to police about her involvement with Bashara. Jane Bashara reportedly found out about the affair weeks before her death.
A woman that lived above Rachel in the Detroit suburb told ABC News that she didn't know Bashara had a wife, he was so often seen with Rachel.
"I thought they were friends at first because he did things for her. He used to take her elderly dog for a walk during the day," she said.