Record producer and songwriter Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder on Monday, April 13.
© AFP Gabriel BouysApril 13, 2009, (Sawf News) - Record producer and songwriter Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder on Monday, April 13.
He was also found guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a crime.
Spector, 69, displayed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read, while the family of the victim, Lana Clarkson, looked on in tears.
Following the verdict he was taken into custody to be formally sentenced on May 29. He is expected to serve between 15 years and life in prison.
Spector was arrested on suspicion of murder on February 3, 2003, after the body of 40-year-old Clarkson, a nightclub hostess and actress, was found at his mansion, Pyrenees Castle, in Alhambra, California.
Police arrived on the scene in response to a 9-1-1 phone call from Spector's driver and discovered Clarkson had been shot through the roof of her mouth. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The first attempt to convict Spector was declared a mistrial on September 26, 2007, after the jurors remained deadlocked: ten for guilty and two for not guilty.
Jury selection in the second retrial began on October 20, 2008 and the case went to the jury on March 27, 2009.
The evidence against Sepctor was circumstantial. His defense team maintained that the Clarkson’s death was an accidental suicide.
Spector has worked with artists like Tina Turner, John Lennon and George Harrison. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer.
Over the years he has become increasingly known for his eccentricity, reclusive temperament and obsessive behavior.
Spector married aspiring singer and actress Rachelle Short on September 1, 2006.
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