The Famous Phil Spector (GUILTY/2nd degree murder of Lana Clarkson)

[LouiseVargas]

Phil Spector

I'm posting this under Unsolved Crimes although we can already predict the outcome.

If you would read this link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector - you will see what a musical genius he was, if you don't already know about him. He was most famous for creating "The Wall of Sound" but he wrote and produced hundreds of great songs in the 60s and 70s that we all know. He made a huge amount of money. He eventually became a recluse and built a castle (called Pyrenees Castle) in Alhambra, CA. In later years, he increasingly became known for eccentric outbursts, litigiousness, and a reclusive temperament.

On February 3, 2003, Phil's chauffeur (Adriano De Souza) drove him to the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.  A B-movie actress, Lana Clarkson (age 40), was working there as a waitress.  He (age sixty eight) invited her to come with him (after she finished work) to his Alhambra castle.  

So the chauffeur drove them to Alhambra. He hung around outside waiting to drive Lana back home later.

There are no eye witnesses to what happened next.

Adriano De Souza told the jury how he heard a "pow" as he waited outside. He said Spector emerged with a gun in hand and said, "I think I killed somebody." The chauffeur fled after seeing his boss with a gun and the dead body of an actress inside the producer's home - he feared he could have been shot himself.

Police responded to a 911 phone call from Spector's driver and discovered Clarkson, who had been shot. She was pronounced dead at the scene. On November 20, 2003, Spector was indicted for Clarkson's murder.

Now, four years later, the trial is taking place in Los Angeles.  He has pleaded not guilty, claiming she committed suicide. His trial began March 19, 2007, with opening statements commencing on April 25, 2007.

Yesterday, a tape of Phil Spector talking to the camera was released, In the tape, shown on US TV show Inside Edition, Spector says it would have been "physically impossible for me to have administered the death wound to her in any shape, way or form." He said he is 5''7" and she was 5'11" and with heels, she was 6'2". Since the gunshot was directed downward, it would have been impossible for him to have shot her.

Well, big surprise. The police found Lana Clarkson's body slumped in a chair in the foyer and her face was covered with blood around her mouth. So she was not standing up at 6 feet, 2 inches tall facing the 5 foot 7 inch Spector. She was in a chair and Phil was taller and that explains the shot directed downward.

The defense claims she shot herself. Her friends say she would never have done that.

Spector has been known for more than 20 years for his eccentricities towards women. For many years, he imprisoned his wife, Ronnie Spector, in his castle until she was finally able to escape and divorce him. He has been known to play with women via shoving guns in their mouths and scaring them to death.  Thus many women can testify against him.

The pundits say this trial will be bigger than OJ's.

[Katysmom]

He may have been famous in 'his day', but I had never heard of him until Lana was murdered.  From what I have heard of him, I don't think the general public would of heard of him back then, either, although we all loved and listened to the music he produced. 

During the trial they did a history piece on him and they said he bought the castle, not built it.  Court TV said it had the name 'castle' and he just kept it.

I quit watching it due to complete boredom.  I normally love murder trials, but this one just seems to go on forever.  At the end of the day I'll go to Court TV and read about what happened that day.  It's a lot more interesting and faster.

He's guilty as hell. (besides being the creepiest man I've ever seen)

[LouiseVargas]

Katy,

You are too young to know about Phil Spector. That's why I provided a link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector. He is worth reading about. He was a musical genius.

[pdh3]

A musical genius with drug problems, who became mentally unstable....IMHO. He had no one in his life to tell him no when his behavior became outrageous, either, not in all these years. He was always eccentric, but when he crossed the line, the users around him never cared, as long as the money was there. A very familiar story in Hollywood. And another great talent squandered over the years. This young woman was unfortunately the person who paid for all of Phil's excesses.
I hope he rots in jail...

[Sleeks]

Hi there monkeys - there is an entire section written about this case in Crime Library, if you all have time, I suggest you read up on it.  It was quite interesting. 

I too agree with Pdh3 - too many (way too many) problems this man has.  Hopefully, it will not go down the same road as OJ.  But unfortunately I think it will. 

[bleachedblack]

Phil Spector's Fate in Jury's Hands

http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=b10a72f2-f028-420d-a5d9-71b803f720de

[LouiseVargas]

Hi Bleachedblack,

Which way are you leaning? I predict a hung jury.

[bleachedblack]

Hi Bleachedblack,

Which way are you leaning? I predict a hung jury.

Interesting Louise.....I am going to have to say guilty on this one. I think they'll come back with a verdict before the weekend.

[pdh3]

ITA bleached. I think he'll be found guilty.
I really hope we're right on this one.

[bleachedblack]

Spector Jurors to Deliberate for Fourth Day

Thursday, September 13, 2007
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296663,00.html

[bleachedblack]

Seems you could be right about this case Louise......
+++++++++++++++++++++++

Jurors deadlocked in Phil Spector murder trial

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Jurors in the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector said Tuesday they were deadlocked, opening up the possibility of a mistrial after a five-month-long court-room battle.

In a dramatic development at Los Angeles Superior Court, jurors mulling second degree murder charges against Spector said they were split 7-5 and said there was no prospect of a breakthrough.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gQP2234avifirVYJACvS46iVvGZg
"At this time we don't believe that anything else will change the positions of the jurors based on the facts of the case," the jury foreman told Judge Larry Paul Fidler on the seventh day of deliberations.

Fidler later dismissed the jury for the day and they will return on Wednesday at 10:00 am after three members of the nine-man three-woman panel requested further instructions. One woman juror said she wanted clarification on the difference between "doubt" and "reasonable doubt."

In a surprise development, Fidler said jurors may be asked to consider convicting Spector on involuntary manslaughter charges. Fidler also dismissed a defense motion for the case to be declared a mistrial.

Spector, 67, who pioneered the "Wall of Sound" recording technique during the 1960s and is regarded as one of the most influential figure in rock-pop music history, is accused of gunning down B-movie actress Lana Clarkson at his castle-like home in February 2003.

Prosecutors allege that the reclusive Spector shot Clarkson in the head as she attempted to leave his home after meeting him for the first time only a few hours before in the Hollywood nightclub where she worked.

District attorney Alan Jackson said during the trial Spector had a "rich history of violence" against women, often flying into drunken, gun-toting rages whenever they tried to leave his company.

No fewer than five women acquaintances of Spector testified that the genius behind 1960s hits such as "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" threatened them with guns in incidents dating back to the 1970s.

Spector's former chauffeur also provided damaging evidence, telling jurors that on the night of the shooting his employer had emerged from a doorway clutching a pistol in a bloodied hand to say: "I think I killed somebody."

Defense lawyers argued however that Clarkson, famous for her role in Roger Corman's 1985 cult classic "The Barbarian Queen" but whose career had stalled at the time of her death, killed herself.

A prominent retired chief medical examiner, Vincent DiMaio, insisted that their was no forensic evidence to indicate Clarkson had been shot by Spector, citing blood spatter and gunshot residue patterns found on her body.

Spector's trial is one of the highest profile celebrity cases to be heard in California over the past two decades, following the child sex trial of Michael Jackson and the murder trials of television actor Robert Blake and American football legend O.J. Simpson, who were all acquitted.

[MuffyBee]

Sep 18, 2007 4:36 pm US/Central
Judge: Jury Hung In Spector Murder Trial
http://keyetv.com/topstories/topstories_story_261164752.html
(AP) LOS ANGELES The foreman of the jury in Phil Spector's murder trial said Tuesday that the panel is at an impasse, and the judge told lawyers he was considering allowing the panel to consider a lesser charge.

The juror told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler the jury was split 7 to 5, but he did not indicate which way it was leaning.

When Fidler asked if there was anything he could do to help, the foreman said, "At this time I don't believe that anything else will change the positions of the jurors."

Polled individually, some jurors agreed with the foreman and others disagreed. One suggested further instruction about reasonable doubt.

The record producer is charged with second-degree murder, and the judge previously ruled that the panel would decide only that charge and not consider lesser charges such as manslaughter.

The judge, however, told the attorneys that he was reconsidering and believed he might have cause to instruct the jury to consider involuntary manslaughter.

The judge, amid discussions with lawyers, told the jury he wanted them to take a break and sent them home with instructions to return Wednesday, possibly for more instructions or to have the lawyers reargue part of the case.

"Just set the case aside for the rest of the day," the judge told them.

The defense immediately asked for a mistrial, but the judge denied it on grounds that three jurors indicated further instructions may help.
(snipped)

[MuffyBee]

Spector jury begins 12th day of talks
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-09-26-phil-spector_N.htm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors in Phil Spector's murder trial returned to work Wednesday, their 12th day of deliberations to try to decide whether the record producer killed actress Lana Clarkson more than 4½ years ago.

The nine-man, three-woman panel startled the courtroom by immediately buzzing the courtroom twice. A bailiff who went into the jury room said they wanted three more notebooks.

The jury has deliberated with modified instructions since reporting an impasse last week. The request was the second this week. On Monday the panel asked for a VCR, but did not indicate which of several videotapes in evidence that it wanted to review.
(snipped)

[MuffyBee]

Mistrial declared as Spector jury hangs 10-2
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/26/spector.verdict/
September 26, 2007
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A judge declared a mistrial in the murder case against music legend Phil Spector after a jury announced for the second time in eight days that it was hopelessly deadlocked.
 The jury deliberated for 12 days, taking six ballots, but was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

Jurors told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler they were split 10-2, without indicating which way they were leaning. They added there was nothing Fidler could do to help them arrive at a unanimous verdict.

Fidler discharged the nine men and three women, thanking them for their service.
(snipped)

 At issue was whether Spector pulled the trigger -- or whether Clarkson did. In photos projected on a large screen, the gruesome crime scene resembled a set decorated for a horror film.

In all, 77 witnesses testified and more than 600 pieces of evidence were submitted. The evidence cart wheeled into the jury room was piled high with exhibits.

The jury even toured the scene of the alleged crime.

The experts' testimony differed widely on what the physical evidence showed.

Prosecutors pointed to the leopard print purse slung over Clarkson's shoulder as evidence she was trying to leave when she was shot.

The defense argued that blood-spatter evidence on the white women's jacket Spector wore showed he was standing too far away to place the gun in Clarkson's mouth.

Spector hired and fired a who's who of legal talent for his defense. High profile defense attorneys who have left the case include Leslie Abramson and Bruce Cutler.

He also changed hairstyles several times during the trial, and wore flamboyant clothing, including frock coats and pastel-colored ties and pocket handkerchiefs.

[MuffyBee]

Spector faces murder case retrial

Oct 4, 2007
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieVORbWlML2K-cL76j6EsxMdAJfw
Spector faces murder case retrial

Oct 4, 2007

Music producer Phil Spector is to face a retrial on a charge of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, officials have confirmed.

Spector's first trial ended in a mistrial last month when the jury were deadlocked 10-2, with the majority favouring conviction.

Lawyers have been back to court, and prosecutor Alan Jackson formally confirmed that the district attorney's office will retry Spector.

But he will be seeking a new legal team after lead defence lawyer Roger Rosen announced that he will not be back for the second trial.

One member of the team, Christopher Plourd, said he would remain as counsel to Spector for a time but said the star was "looking for a new lawyer".

Spector, 67, is accused of murdering Miss Clarkson, 40, on February 3, 2003, at his California mansion.

The actress met Spector in her job as a nightclub hostess and went home with him after work. She died of a gunshot fired inside her mouth while seated.

At his trial, the prosecution contended that Spector has a history of threatening women with guns when they try to leave his presence.

The defence sought to show that Miss Clarkson was depressed by career struggles and other problems and that the gunshot was self-inflicted, either an accident or a suicide.

The legal team which defended Spector during the trial was his third. The first team was fired

[Nut44x4]

Jury reaches verdict in Phil Spector retrial .... Announcement at 4:30 ET
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/13/phil.spector.verdict/

[Nut44x4]

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A jury has found music legend Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of an actress at his home in Alhambra, California.

The jury returned the verdict in a Los Angeles courtroom shortly after 5 p.m. ET on Monday.

The six men and six women began their deliberations on March 26. They deliberated for about 30 hours.

Jurors had to decide whether Spector, 69 was guilty of second-degree murder or a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/13/phil.spector.verdict/

[Nut44x4]

There was never any doubt in my mind 

[Nut44x4]

Phil Spector gets 19 years to life for murder of actress

05:28 PM CDT on Friday, May 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Phil Spector was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth in the music producer's home six years ago.

Spector, 69, looked straight forward and showed no emotion as Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler ordered a term of 15 years to life for second-degree murder plus four years for personal use of a gun.

Clarkson's mother, Donna, made a brief statement before sentencing, speaking of her daughter's fine qualities, sense of humor, intelligence and dedication to her craft of acting.

"I'm very proud of Lana, proud to be her mother," Donna Clarkson said. She added, "No one should suffer the loss of a child."

The judge also ordered Spector to pay $16,811 in funeral expenses, $9,740 to a state victims' restitution fund and other fees.

Spector, dressed in his customary dark pinstripe suit with a red silk tie, was led away immediately. His attorney asked that he be transferred immediately from county jail to a state prison. It was not immediately known to which prison Spector would be assigned.

Spector gained fame decades ago for what became known as the "Wall of Sound" recording technique that changed rock music.

Clarkson was most famous as the star of Roger Corman's 1985 cult film classic "Barbarian Queen." She was 40 when she died.

Spector's young wife, who is in her late 20s, attended the sentencing.

"This is a sad day for everybody involved," Rachelle Spector said. "The Clarkson family has lost a daughter and a sister. I've lost my husband, my best friend. I feel that a grave injustice has been done and from this day forward I'm going to dedicate myself to proving my husband's innocence."

Spector's son Louis, accompanied by his wife, also came to the sentencing. He had attended much of the trial.

"I'm torn about this," he said. "I'm losing my father who is going to spend his life in jail. At the same time, justice is served."

Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson said afterward that the outcome sent a message: "If you commit crimes against our citizens we will follow you and prosecute you. And no matter whether you are famous or wealthy, you will stand trial."

Asked how he felt about Spector personally, Jackson said, "I find nothing tragic about him. Everything he did was intentional."

Jackson said the case was "rock solid" legally and will not be subject to a successful appeal.

Defense attorney Doron Weinberg told reporters that the appeal will be extremely strong.

"Mr. Spector did not kill Lana Clarkson," he said, "and we hope by the time we are through we will be able to prove that."

Spector had two trials with essentially the same evidence. His first in 2007 was televised gavel to gavel and spectators flocked to the courtroom. But when the jury deadlocked after a five-month trial, his legal "dream team," which at times numbered half a dozen lawyers, bailed out.

By the time the second trial started in 2008, interest had waned. The judge ordered cameras turned off and only a handful of spectators and reporters stopped in sporadically to watch testimony.

During jury selection, only a few panelists remembered Spector's heyday as producer of teen anthems including "To Know Him is to Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, The Ronette's "Be My Baby," The Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and The Righteous Brothers' classic, "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'." Spector also worked on a Beatles album with John Lennon.

Ironically, Clarkson didn't know Spector's music legacy either when she met him only hours before she died at his Alhambra "castle" in February 2003. She was working as a hostess at the House of Blues nightclub on the Sunset Strip, where she had to be told by a manager that Spector was an important man.

His time had passed. Clarkson's career also was ebbing. Their fateful meeting, recounted in both trials, led to her death and the end of his life as he knew it. For the next six years he spent millions of dollars on lawyers as he sought to prove that Clarkson killed herself.

But what had happened inside his house was never clear. Clarkson's body was found slumped in a chair in a foyer. A gun had been fired in her mouth. Spector's chauffeur, the key witness, said he heard a gunshot, then saw Spector emerge holding a gun and heard him say: "I think I killed somebody."

Weinberg said forensic evidence proved that Clarkson shot herself and cited her desperation at not being able to get acting work. Jackson said the shooting fit the pattern of other confrontations between Spector and women.

Much of the case hinged on the testimony of five women from Spector's past who said he threatened them with guns when they tried to leave his presence. The parallels with the night Clarkson died were chilling even if the stories were very old — 31 years in one instance.

Weinberg said Spector's appeal will assert that the judge erred in allowing the women to testify.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090529_lj_apspector.2b841e68.html

Phil Spector listens to his sentence

[cookie]

justice finally!

I bet his much younger wife will spend the rest of her life proving his innocence..the twit...she will be onto someone else before long...