LOS ANGELES – A former television producer has been charged with murder after her deaf and partially-blind sister was found dead in 2015, according to authorities.
Jill Blackstone, who worked on The Jerry Springer Show, The Tony DanzaShow, Divorce Court and others, was arrested at a Baltimore hospital. She faces extradition to Los Angeles on a murder charge and three counts of animal cruelty, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In March, 2015, her 49-year-old sister, Wendy Blackstone, was found unconscious inside the carbon monoxide-filled garage of a Los Angeles home. Next to her were three dogs, one already dead. A Doberman that was found alive died later.
Investigators believe Jill Blackstone set the garage on fire and tried to make it look like an accident. Officers found a grill and charcoal in the garage, but Blackstone told police it was used to roast marshmallows, according to the paper.
A note found at the scene had Jill Blackstone's handwriting on it, experts determined. Detectives found a nearly empty bottle of vodka nearby, but there was no alcohol in Wendy Blackstone's system.
Detectives believe Jill Blackstone staged the suicide and killed her sister to end the expensive long-term care for her sister, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Authorities arrested Jill Blackstone at Johns Hopkins Hospital where she was receiving treatment for an unspecified medical condition. She was booked and is waiting to be extradited to California.