'Jerry Springer' former producer Jill Blackstone arrested for murdering her deaf and partially blind sister
Jill Blackstone, former producer of 'Jerry Springer' and Family Court with Judge Penny has been arrested and charged with the murder of her deaf and partially blind sister, according to TMZ. Last month, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed a murder charge against Jill following a two-year investigation which had been conducted by LAPD Valley homicide detectives.
In March 2015, Jill's sister, Wendy Blackstone was found unconscious next to a dead dog in an enclosed garage that had filled with carbon monoxide. Paramedics were called on the location and they tried to resuscitate her, but she was later pronounced dead at the scene. It was determined that the cause of her death was due to inhalation of combustion and the sedative alprazolam.
On Tuesday (April 10), Valley homicide detectives found out that Jill had gone to Johns Hopkins University's medical center. Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department said detectives arranged for officers to arrest her on the outstanding charges. Mike added that she is now in Baltimore police custody where she is awaiting extradition to Los Angeles.
According to Los Angeles Times, the documents that have been obtained by Los Angeles County coroner's office states that the death of Wendy seemed to be "very suspicious" and "possibly staged". Her body was found in the garage of a Studio City home in the 12000 block of Landale Street. Her body was covered with a blanket and along with it lay a suicide note.
Near her feet were a Weber charcoal grill and a trash can with ash in it. It was believed that these two elements had been the reason for carbon monoxide. Near her body was also an empty bottle of vodka. However, no alcohol was found in her body during the autopsy. Investigators found various notes that lay around her body with end-of-life instructions, but none of them were signed by Wendy.
When Jill was questioned by the police officers she said that the grill was used in the garage to keep warm and the charcoal was used to roast marshmallows. According to the LAPD, the detectives believe that Jill's motive for murder was her "frustration of being forced to provide Wendy long-term care, as well as the associated financial hardship."