Bashara sentenced to prison time in hit man scheme

By Ed White Associated Press DETROIT (AP) -- A man who said he tried to arrange the killing of a handyman charged with his wife's slaying was sentenced to more than six years in prison Monday, the latest step in a strange saga in Grosse Pointe Park. Robert Bashara, 55, said he was "truly and humbly sorry" for trying to have Joseph Gentz killed in jail. "What I did was inexcusable, and I have no one to blame but myself," he said while repeatedly pausing to dab his eyes. The body of his wife, marketing executive Jane Bashara, was found strangled in her Mercedes-Benz in a decrepit Detroit neighborhood last January, miles from their home in Grosse Pointe Park. The killing stoked fears of a random abduction, but the investigation soon focused on people close to the family. Gentz, who was Robert Bashara's handyman, was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy. No co-conspirator has been named. Bashara insists he had no role in her death, but police have called him a person of interest. Assistant prosecutor Robert Moran added to the intrigue Monday when he told the judge that Bashara tried to have Gentz killed to protect himself. "Is this a man who hires someone out of vengeance or revenge because he's angry because someone confessed to taking his wife's life? No," Moran said. Bashara in October pleaded guilty to soliciting Gentz's murder after he was secretly recorded discussing the scheme. Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow sentenced Bashara to at least 80 months in prison and a maximum of 20 years. He will be eligible for parole after he serves the minimum term. As the victim of Bashara's crime, Gentz was in court and had a right to speak to the judge. Instead, he asked his attorney, Susan Reed, to read a statement. "I have been telling the truth from the beginning," Gentz said in the statement. "Bob has used me and threatened me. He told me he had friends in the mafia and would have me killed. ... I was afraid for my life because he said he could get to me anywhere, even in jail. I am still in fear." Gentz was returned to jail after the court hearing. The case against him in Jane Bashara's death is pending. Published: Wed, Dec 12, 2012