'Jerry Springer’ Producer Jill Blackstone Arrested For Murdering Sister
In a sickening twist, Jill Blackstone, a former TV producer of Jerry Springer, has been arrested for murder in Baltimore on Wednesday.
Facing A Real Life Court
Blackstone, whose credits include the hit reality show, as well as Sally Jesse Raphael, Divorce Court, and Family Court with Judge Penny, is set to face the court for real.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Operations-Valley Bureau Homicide Detectives, along with the Baltimore PD, booked Blackstone on suspicion of murder.
Back in March 2015, Blackstone's sister, Wendy, was found dead from a lethal combination of carbon monoxide poisoning and Xanax in an apparent suicide, possibly facilitated by Jill.
Wendy, who was blind and partially deaf, was implicated in a suicide pact with her sister, who apparently backed out at the last minute and left the garage where her sister subsequently perished.
After suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning, Jill Blackstone spent two days in the hospital. Her sister, as well as three dogs, died in the fire that engulfed the garage. A suicide note, later confirmed by police to have been written by Jill, was found at the scene.
An Apparent Murder
It now appears something entirely different happened that fateful day. LAPD confirmed they believe Jill Blackstone murdered her sister.
She allegedly drugged Wendy and took her in the garage of the North Hollywood home that they shared, along with the three dogs.
Jill then set the garage on fire, killing all four inside, and staged it as an accident.
According to homicide detectives, Jill was sick of caring for her disabled sister, as well as footing the bill for her.
"[The] frustration of being forced to provide Wendy long-term care, as well as the associated financial hardship," advised law enforcement as the motive for the crime.
Last month, the Los Angeles D.A.'s office filed murder and animal cruelty charges against Jill Blackstone and issued a warrant of arrest.
Blackstone was taken from a Baltimore hospital, where she was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed medical condition. She is currently in police custody awaiting extradition.
A Reality Show Story-line
The TV producer has a long and impressive career. She was nominated for a CableACE award in 1993 and served as executive producer on shows including The Tony Danza Show and Pat Croce Moving In.
Ironically, Blackstone was taken in for something that could've been a story-line on the infamous Jerry Springer Show, which frequently featured topics like incest and Klansmen membership.
Although she told cops in 2015 that her sister committed suicide, sources said at the time that the death scene looked staged — a criticism often lobbied at the show for which Blackstone is most famous for.
