Who Is Jill Blackstone? 'Jerry Springer' Producer Arrested For Murder Of Sister

A prolific television producer was arrested Tuesday for the alleged murder of her sister, TMZ reported. Jill Blackstone, whose TV credits include several popular programs spanning multiple decades, was taken into custody in connection with the 2015 death of her sister Wendy.

Jill was also hit with three charges of animal cruelty for the deaths of Wendy’s dogs at the same crime scene, per TMZ.

Jill Blackstone’s name appears in the production credits of several popular TV shows, including “Divorce Court” and “Jerry Springer.” She was the executive producer on 105 episodes of “Family Court With Judge Penny,” according to IMDb. She was also linked to Sally Jesse Raphael’s talk show, according to TMZ.

The two sisters lived together in Los Angeles at the time of Wendy’s death, three years before Jill’s arrest. Wendy and her dogs were found dead in the sisters’ shared garage in 2015 in what was initially believed to be a suicide. The cause of death was determined to be a mix of carbon monoxide poisoning and Xanax, per TMZ.

Jill was also treated at a hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, with police at one point believing it was a suicide pact that Jill backed out of at the last second. There was even a suicide note in the garage, which investigators now believe may have been written by Jill.

Suspicions over the layout of the crime scene cast doubt on Jill’s story from the beginning; she was arrested in connection with Wendy’s death in 2015, as well, but it did not go anywhere at the time. One potential motivation for Jill to help her sister commit suicide was that Wendy was deaf and somewhat blind.

Los Angeles Police Department sources reportedly told TMZ that Jill’s "frustration of being forced to provide Wendy long-term care, as well as the associated financial hardship,” could have pushed her in that direction. Jill was arrested at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and faces extradition to Los Angeles.