Music producer Phil Spector was found guilty of second degree murder yesterday in Los Angeles Superior court for the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. Judge Larry Paul Fidler remanded him to jail immediately.
Facing a possible 18 years in prison, the verdict has been a long time in coming. Clarkson died six years ago from a gunshot to her mouth at the residence of Spector in Alhambra, California. Spector’s first trial in 2007 ended with the jury deadlocked 10-2, favoring conviction.
The 40 year old Lana Clarkson was an actress who had fallen on hard times and was working as a nightclub hostess. On February 3, 2003, she left her job at the House of Blues at closing and accepted Spector’s offer to accompany him to his home for a drink. Three hours later she was dead.
The defense claim was that Lana was depressed and took her own life with a .38 caliber pistol. The prosecution, on the other hand, painted a very dark picture, calling Phil “a very dangerous man, who has a history of playing Russian roulette with women.”
The jury of six men and six women took less than 30 hours to arrive at a guilty verdict. They could have found him guilty of the lessor crime of involuntary manslaughter but had no trouble convicting him of second degree murder. They also found him guilty of using a firearm in committing the crime, which could mean up to 10 additional years in prison.
Defense attorney Doron Weinberg plans to file an immediate appeal, claiming the judge erred in allowing five women from Spector’s past to testify. He will ask an appeals court for a new trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment