LOS ANGELES — A television producer arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing her deaf and partially blind sister three years ago drugged the woman, placed her in a garage and set the building on fire to make the death look accidental, Los Angeles police said.
Jill Blackstone was taken into custody in Baltimore and will be extradited to face a murder charge in California, authorities said. It wasn’t immediately clear if she has an attorney.
Her sister, Wendy Blackstone, died in 2015 along with two of her pet dogs.
Investigators believe Jill Blackstone was motivated by frustration at the emotional and financial hardship of taking care of her sister.
Jill Blackstone worked as a TV producer for programs including “The Jerry Springer Show,” “The Tony Danza Show,” “Divorce Court” and “Family Court with Judge Penny.”
Wendy Blackstone died from smoke inhalation and an overdose of alprazolam, a sedative, according to an autopsy. A coroner’s report obtained by the Los Angeles Times said a suicide note was found in Wendy Blackstone’s hand, but investigators believed it was actually written by Jill Blackstone.
Jill Blackstone was arrested on suspicion of murder two days after her sister’s body was found, but she was released when prosecutors declined to file charges, asking police to conduct further investigation.
She was charged on Monday with murder and animal cruelty.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
JustMike650 said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.