Spector convicted of second-degree murder  - NY Daily News
Phil Spector convicted of second-degree murder  in shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson
Spector convicted of second-degree murder
DAILY NEWS WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF
Monday, April 13, 2009, 6:15 PM
Phil Spector arrives at court on Monday.
(Djansezian/Getty)
DAILY NEWS WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF
Monday, April 13, 2009, 6:15 PM
LOS ANGELES - Famed Record producer Phil Spector was convicted of second-degree murder Monday for the shooting death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson six years ago.
The judge ordered him to face the music immediately, citing his "history of violence" as he shipped the wild-eyed, big-haired Spector off to jail.
Spector's young, blond wife broke down in tears while Clarkson's mom, Donna, hugged Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson .
A Bronx native who pioneered the "Wall of Sound" style of early 1960s rock 'n' roll and produced records for the Beatles , the Ramones and The Righteous Brothers , Spector faces a minimum of 18 years for the Feb. 3, 2003, slaying.
Spector, 69, fired a bullet in the mouth of Clarkson, 40, as she sat in the foyer of his castlelike mansion in Alhambra, Calif. His conviction came after a first trial in 2007 ended with a hung jury whose majority favored conviction.
The first jury deliberated for about 44 hours while the retrial jurors spent about 30 hours.
At both trials, which each lasted about six months, Spector's lawyers tried to convince jurors that Clarkson was despondent over a failed acting career and pointed the gun at her own face before pulling the trigger.
Prosecutors argued that the reclusive Spector murdered Clarkson when the blond beauty tried to flee his home before he was ready to say goodbye.
"I feel relief for the family," Jackson said after the verdict. "Today is when the Clarkson family gets their justice."
The Clarkson family is "pleased with the verdict" and that the jury "rejected the distortion and trashing of Lana Clarkson's life," family spokesman John Taylor said.
But "there's no joy here today," he said, standing next to Donna Clarkson . "It's a tragedy."
Jackson called several former female acquaintances to testify that Spector had threatened them with guns in alcohol-fueled incidents eerily similar to the night Clarkson died.
Possibly the most damning evidence came from Spector's former chauffeur Adriano De Souza , who told jurors that Spector emerged from the mansion the night of Clarkson's death and said, "I think I killed somebody" as he held a bloody gun.