Phil Spector Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in Death of Clarkson

Posted on Apr 13th 2009 5:30PM by Benjy Eisen

Phil Spector was found guilty of second-degree murder on Monday in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson. The producer now faces up 15 years to life behind bars, though a sentencing date has yet to be set.

A jury of six women and six men deliberated whether Spector, 69, was guilty or innocent of second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter. In 2007, Spector stood trial for the murder of b-movie actress Clarkson, 40, who was found dead in Spector's home with a gunshot through her mouth. Spector's defense was that suicide could not be proved impossible and, thus, Spector could not be deemed guilty beyond doubt. An oft-cited "smoking gun" was that Clarkson purchased new shoes on the day she died -- which is incongruous with suicidal behavior.

In the first trial, the jury leaned heavily toward a conviction but could not reach a unanimous decision; the new trial began this past October.

Five women testified that Spector threatened them with a weapon in the past, and Spector's driver told the jury that he left his house, gun in hand, saying, "I think I just killed somebody."

As a music producer, Spector has two Grammy Awards, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is the brainchild behind the instantly recognizable "Wall of Sound" that was the hallmark of his work in the 1960s with artists such as the Righteous Brothers, the Ronettes and Ike and Tina Turner. He was famous (or notorious) for his production on the Beatles' 'Let it Be' and was always as controversial as he was iconic. His short temper and authoritarian personality made him the stuff of music legend.