Phil specter 2007 trial

In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson said Spector had a history of threatening women with guns when he was drunk. Jackson demonstrated how Spector allegedly pressed the barrel of a gun to the face of Dianne Ogden when she tried to leave his home after a dinner date.

Defense attorney Bruce Cutler told jurors in his opening statement that authorities rushed to judgment of Spector. Spector listened to court proceedings April 26, , the first day of testimony in his trial. He faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted of murder. The first witness, Dorothy Melvin, a former manager for comedian Joan Rivers, testified that Spector menaced her with a snub-nosed handgun in when they were dating.

Melvin said during the same incident, he confronted her with a shotgun. The trial was suspended April 30, , after lead defense attorney Bruce Cutler became ill. Henry Lee's interview with Court TV the day after the trial began prompted prosecutors to allege the noted criminalist had held back experiment results.

In the interview, Lee said tests showed that blood spatter could travel 72 inches, 3 feet longer than prosecutors contend. The defense later said Lee had not performed new experiments and was referring to general research in the blood spatter field. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged.

Singer Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he "changed the sound of rock 'n' roll" but likened their relationship to "a bad marriage". Responding to news of the producer's death, Blondie guitarist Chris Stein tweeted: "When we went to Phil Spector's house in the 70s he came to the door holding a bottle of diet Manischewitz wine in one hand and a presumably loaded 45 automatic in the other.

Long story. Obituary: Phil Spector. Image source, Getty Images. Phil Spector pictured in court during his murder trial. Image source, Albert L. Lana Clarkson was an actress and model who starred in the film Barbarian Queen. The media dubbed Clarkson a B-movie actress. Working with Roger Corman , the king of the B-movie world, she discovered she could get bigger roles in smaller films.

Friends described her as happy but disappointed about her career the night she met Spector for the first time. She was working on reviving her film career.

Spector asked her to come back to his place for a drink after another female employee turned him down. Clarkson was a beautiful person inside and out, according to her many friends.

At the time of her death, she volunteered for an HIV charity and did stand-up comedy about her years as a B-movie star. The proceedings were hip-deep in celebrities, from famous pathologist Dr. The first jury heard closing arguments by attorney and media personality Linda Kenney Baden. The defense asserted that Clarkson, who was shot in the mouth, committed suicide. The cops had to taser Spector into submission. In his first trial, the jury heard ballistics evidence, listened to witnesses who confirmed Spector had a pattern of threats against women.

The jury heard from police and emergency personnel who arrived at Pyrenees castle in the early morning hours of Feb. Spector remained free on bail for months before his retrial, which began on Oct. The jury took the case on March 29, Their deliberation took 18 days of review and discussion, but this time they came to a unanimous verdict. Phil Spector leaves with wife Rachelle Spector and unidentified bodyguards following a court appearance in his trial in Los Angeles, California on Sept.

They found Phil Spector guilty of murder in the second degree, along with using a firearm in the commission of a crime. The latter charge added four more years to his years-to-life sentence. Lead defense attorney Bruce Cutler demonstrated the defense's ambivalence during his cross-examination of Ogden. He thundered about her cooperation with authorities and asked her sarcastically if she had ever done any "professional acting.

Steven Levine, a former L. In the end, the defense focused on how the women differed from Clarkson, both physically and in their relationship with Spector. All four were petite, with most appearing to be shorter than the 5-footinch Spector. Clarkson stood 5-foot The defense also contrasted their long-standing dating relationships with Spector with that of Clarkson, who had just met him.

Trying to establish another difference between Clarkson's death and the earlier incidents, a defense attorney asked Grosvenor whether the gun Spector allegedly used to threaten her had ever discharged. E-mail to a friend. Share this on:. Next Article in U. From the Blogs: Controversy, commentary, and debate.