CALIFORNIA ? Jurors began deliberations Friday in the wrongful-death lawsuit that claims “Baretta” star Robert Blake is liable for the killing of wife Bonny Lee Bakley 4 1/2 years ago.

Blake, 72, was acquitted of murder in March after a criminal trial, but the lawsuit brought on behalf of Bakley’s four children seeks to hold him civilly responsible and to win monetary damages.

Jurors put in just more than two hours of work before recessing for the weekend. They began deliberations after Los Angeles County Judge David Schacter instructed them on the questions they must answer to reach verdicts.

The judge said they must decide whether Blake intentionally caused Bakley’s death or plotted to cause it. They also must decide whether there was a conspiracy between Blake and co-defendant Earle Caldwell, his former handyman, to cause Bakley’s death.

The jurors were also given guidance on how to determine damages if they find liability.

Verdicts require agreement by nine of the 12 jurors rather than a unanimous decision. The burden of proof also is lower than in a criminal case. A criminal conviction requires a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. To determine liability in a civil case, jurors must find that a claim is more likely to be true than not.