Judge relieves Blake's lawyer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The murder trial of Robert Blake was postponed indefinitely after a judge relieved the actor's third defense lawyer because of "irreconcilable differences" between the attorney and his client.
The case had been scheduled to enter the final phase of jury selection later this month, but prosecutors said they will now have to start the process from scratch.
"I'm sorry," Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp said Thursday after stunning the courtroom with her announcement. "I just did not have a choice in the matter."
She spent nearly an hour in her chambers with Blake and attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. before announcing her decision. As they left court, neither Blake nor Mesereau would discuss the nature of the dispute which ended their relationship after some 14 months.
Schempp set a hearing for Feb. 23, by which time she said she hoped Blake would have a new lawyer.
"I'm very, very sorry, that Mr. Mesereau left," Blake said outside court. "I am deeply, deeply grateful to him for saving my life."