Celebrity News April 13, 2009
Phil Spector Guilty of Second-Degree Murder
A Los Angeles jury, after deliberating for 30 hours, today convicted music producer Phil Spector of second-degree murder in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson in the foyer of his Alhambra mansion.
The conviction comes after multiple legal teams represented the eccentric producer, whose ex-wife and others testified in the original trial, which ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked 10-2 for conviction. At one time he was represented by former O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro, who was later sued by Spector for return of legal fees.
Spector was taken into custody. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
Spector met Lana Clarkson when she worked as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Her friends and family always insisted that she was not suicidal, which Spector claimed, although he was quoted by a chauffeur on the night of the murder as saying "I think I just killed somebody."
In 2006, Spector married actress Rachelle Short, 28.
