The Bob Bashara show played out in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday with the man himself stepping up to the witness stand.
Bashara, who wants a new trial after being convicted of killing his wife Jane, testified that he and his wife had medical issues that prevented them from having sex. He said she advised him to do what he needed to do sexually so long as he didn't embarrass her or the family, according to a report by George Hunter of the Detroit News.
Bashara said he saw popup ads for BDSM (bondage, domination, and sadomasochistic) dating websites and "it intrigued me because I'm a dominant, outgoing person/ Women who were submissive who were seeking a ... master who was compassionate, skilled ... whether it be flogging, bondag," the New reported.
Bashara said he wanted to rescue women who were "being abused in the lifestyle, when all the men wanted was rough sex," the News reported.
The News reported that he said he met his girlfriend, Rachel Gillett, in 2008: "I wanted to help her ... this is the type of women I wanted to help in the lifestyle."
Bashara offered testimony on his own behalf to try and show he was a compassionate person and to counter impressions that he may have killed his wife so he could carry on with a kinky sex life.
He testified that the media made it difficult for him to get a fair trial.
"There was no way I could get a fair trial ... because of the brood of vipers that is the media," he testified.
He said he loved his wife even though they didn't have sex after a while.
"Every night, we cuddled, we kissed," he said. "We were both getting older...the love and the caring never stopped."
In 2012, Bashara pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder by hiring someone to try and kill Joe Gentz in prison. Gentz, a handyman pleaded guilty to killing Jane Bashara. Last December, Bashara was convicted of killing his wife. He was sentenced to life in prison.
On Thursday, he denied hiring Gentz to kill his wife.
The court called for a 15-minute recess at 2:06 p.m. -- Allan Lengel
