commentary by Patrick H. Moore
There is little doubt that a Michigan man named “Master Bob” Bondage Bashara thought he was a real swinging dick. Sort of a man for all seasons, SOJ (Son of a Judge) Bondage Bob was a Rotary club President some of the time and an S & M dude who “dabbled in bondage and domination in a sex dungeon under a bar called the Hard Luck Lounge” some of the time (apparently with willing participants from various states). SOJ Bob was a marketing executive (of course) who lived in Grosse Point Park, an upper middle class suburb of Detroit.
The problem was Bondage Bob had a wife, Jane Bashara, who was apparently in the way. B. Bob (the name is very close to “boob”) didn’t want to whack her himself so in a decidedly scurrilous act of manipulation, according to prosecutors, this SOJ “coerced a handyman with a low IQ to strangle his wife, Jane Bashara, in the family garage and to abandon the body in Detroit.”
(Imagine the awful thoughts that much have been rolling through Jane’s mind when the handyman’s strong hands closed around her throat on what she may have assumed was just going to be another “day in the life”.)
Despite the fact that Bondage Bob repeatedly declared his innocence, Wayne County Judge Vonda Evans was not impressed. Ed White of the AP writes:
Calling him a “master of manipulation,” a judge sentenced a former Rotary Club president to life in prison Thursday for arranging his wife’s killing so he could devote more time to cavorting with other women who shared his love for sexual bondage and domination.
“You lived in two worlds,” said the Judge. “Light — your family, community and friends. And darkness where your lies were your truth and your truth was a lie. … I have no mercy for you.”
According to some reports, at first it looked like Bondage Bog might get away with the murder-for-hire, but soon the investigators closed in and his goose was cooked.
SOJ Bob, who is 57 years old, resorted to crossing himself and got a little weepy “as Jane Bashara’s sister and mother spoke about the pain they’ve experienced in the three years since she was found dead in her Mercedes-Benz in a Detroit alley.”
The trial appears to have been a bit of a dog-and-pony show. SOJ Bob’s mistress testified along with other women from Oregon and Chicago who had apparently “done time” with Master Bob in his creepy sex dungeon.
Even Judge Vonda apparently couldn’t resist getting into the act. According to Ed White of AP, she mocked Bob stating snarkily:
“Master Bob — master of manipulation.”
Nasty Bob, however, didn’t give an inch and stated emphatically, “I loved my Jane dearly.”
“I did not murder her. I did not conspire with anyone. … I will never stop fighting for justice and truth until my hands are raw, blood comes from my eyes and I take my last breath.”
Yeah, Mr. Rotary Club can lay it on thick, can’t he?
The Nasty One also complained about being portrayed as a “monster”.
In Michigan, as in many states, the victims of crime have the right to speak their mind before a defendant is sentenced. Poor Jane’s mother, Lorraine Engelbrecht, said she fantasizes about Boob Bob “someday burning in hell.”
“Every day of my life I ask, ‘Why didn’t he just go and live his scummy dungeon life and leave my daughter and my grandchildren alone?’” Engelbrecht said.
The murdering handyman, Joe Gentz, 51, who despite his own hideous act, also appears to be a victim of sorts, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was expected to be a star witness at The Boob’s trial, but he backed out of the bargain in October. No worries – Big Nasty was convicted without him.
Actually, this is Big Nasty’s second conviction. He had already taken a plea and was already in prison for trying to have Poor Joe killed in jail in 2012.
Of course, you can’t feel too sorry for Big Hands Joe. After all he applied the pressure while Poor Jane felt the breath leaving her body.
Meanwhile, with his penchant for S & M action, Bilious Bob should be a natural for doing hard time in a Michigan state penitentiary. This, however, will not bring Poor Jane back to life.