Christian Brando

When she refused to pay they took the boy to Mexico, where a posse of private detectives hired by Brando, from an agency named "The Investigators", led by private investigator Jay J. Armes, rescued him late one night and returned him to Los Angeles. Back in court his father was awarded sole custody.

As a child, Christian had two small roles in movies: in The Secret Life of an American Wife and I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!, both released in 1968. Read Less

Robert Blake was ultimately charged with his wife's murder and although acquitted in the criminal trial, he was found liable for her death in the civil case.

Testimony introduced during the criminal pre-trial hearings and the subsequent civil trial attempted to implicate Christian in the murder, suggesting that he had the same motive as Blake to have Bonny Lee Bakley killed. Bonnie Lee Bakley was dating Robert Blake and Christian Brando at the same time. Letters to Robert Blake from Bakley outlined financial motives for the relationships with Blake and Brando. Bakley became pregnant and claimed to both Brando and Blake that they were the father. Bakley named Christian Brando as the father in the official birth certificate and named the baby Christian Shannon Brando. However, a DNA test determined that Robert Blake, not Christian Brando, was the biological father.

According to trial testimony, just days before her death, Bakley sent a letter and photos of the baby to Christian Brando whom she continued to claim was the father. Dianne Mattson testified in court that Brando became enraged, and at one point stated "somebody should put a bullet in that bitch's head". In a tape-recorded conversation between Brando and Bakley, Brando stated, "You’re lucky. You know, I mean, not on my behalf, but you’re lucky someone ain’t out there to put a bullet in your head.” Read Less