Murder Trial of Phil Spector Ends
posted in Hollywood News |
The murder trial of the music producer Phil Spector ended on Wednesday in a mistrial after the jury, leaning heavily to convict him, could not reach a unanimous verdict. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said it planned to retry the case.
Mr. Spector, who is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Lana Clarkson in his home in 2003, gazed uncomprehendingly as Judge Larry Paul Fidler of Superior Court ended the trial after the jury foreman had reported a 10-2 deadlock. He was freed on bail.
Three jurors who spoke to the reporters said that the death of Ms. Clarkson, a struggling actress, could have been a suicide rather than a murder.
This trial was the first broadcast Los Angeles celebrity trial after the Simpson case in 1995. But this case did not attract the following or frantic coverage like other cases. Mr. Spector has not been behind a sensation in decades. He is best known in music circles for his Wall of Sound technique, marrying lush orchestral arrangements to guitars and other staples of pop music. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he teamed up with top rock stars, including the Beatles.
