Phil Spector's Murder Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court

Posted on May 2nd 2011 7:49PM by Benjy Eisen
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Al Seib-Pool, Getty Images

Famed but incarcerated producer Phil Spector, who created the influential Wall of Sound style so crucial to a slew of mainstream pop hits from the 1960s, will remain behind bars, at least for now. Reuters reports that, on Monday, a California appeals court upheld Spector's conviction for second-degree murder, after his attorneys unsuccessfully argued that the trial leading to that conviction was prejudiced.

The appeal was based on Spector's attorneys' objection to the testimony of five women that Spector knew years before he was accused of shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death, in his home in 2003. The women each individually testified that Spector had previously threatened them with a gun in separate incidents during emotional outbursts.

The court found that such testimony was, in fact, relevant to the case. "The evidence showed that, when fueled by alcohol and faced with a lack or loss of control over a woman who was alone with him and in whom he had a romantic or sexual interest, Spector underwent a sharp mood swing, exhibited extreme anger and threatened the women," reads part of the ruling by Justice Joan Klein.

In 2009, Spector, now age 71, was found guilty for the murder of Clarkson, two years after jurors deadlocked in a 2007 mistrial.

A Grammy and Academy Award winning producer who helped shaped the girl group sound of the early '60s, through his work with such artists as Darlene Love and the Ronettes, Spector also produced unforgettable material for the Beatles, Ike & Tina Turner, the Ramones and Leonard Cohen, among many others. In 1989, Spector was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and, to this day, modern rock bands such as the Dodos acknowledge his massive influence. BMI lists 'You've Lost That Loving Feelin' -- which Spector produced and co-wrote for the Righteous Brothers in 1965 -- as the most played radio song of the 20th Century. Of that last point, there's sure to be more than one ironic pun.

Watch This Revealing Look at Phil Spector's Wall of Sound