BREAKING: Phil Spector convicted of second-degree murder

[Tab]

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES – Rock music producer Phil Spector was convicted Monday of second-degree murder in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion six years ago.

A Superior Court jury returned the verdict after an estimated 29 to 30 hours of deliberations. The jury had the option of choosing involuntary manslaughter, but did not do so.

Spector's young wife, Rachelle, sobbed as the decision was announced.

The 40-year-old Clarkson, star of the 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen," died of a gunshot fired in her mouth as she sat in the foyer of Spector's mansion in 2003. She met Spector only hours earlier at her job as a nightclub hostess.

Prosecutors argued Spector had a history of threatening women with guns when they tried to leave his presence.

The defense claimed she killed herself.

It was Spector's second trial. His first jury deadlocked 10-2, favoring conviction in 2007.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/phil_spector

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[Taverner]

1. Fuck - if any case was a clear cut 1st deg murder, it was this one...

[Flying Dream Blues]

2. I guess I haven't read up on this in a while...do you really think

it was premeditated? From what I remember, the 2nd degree should've been a slam dunk, for sure.

[Taverner]

4. Pretty sure it came out of an argument - but Spector loved to pull guns on people all the time

He is one sick fuck

[Flying Dream Blues]

5. Yes, he is!

[d_b]

8. didnt he pull one on the ramones?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. and John Lennon, and he pulled a crossbow

on Leonard Cohen

[d_b]

10. lol

a crossbow on leonard cohen. Fuck, i'd give my soul to see that.

[Taverner]

29. My guess is Leonard didn't even flinch...

That guy is a badass!

[Taverner]

17. Yep - on Dee Dee

cocked it too...

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

48. And Debbie Harry

From Spin:
"And now, lively Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry has come forward, exposing her experience at the mercy of Spector's antics. "He did it - he pulled a gun, that notorious thing he does," Harry told U.K.'s The Mirror. "He stuck it in my boot and went 'Bang'. I thought, 'Get me outta here. I just wanna go home.'"

[valerief]

3. Yeah, but he is very wealthy, so that muddies the facts. nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. My very first thought. How could it not have been? It was all or nothing.

[imdjh]

21. I have a problem with them offering the jury a lesser offense

It gives them an out to their conscience, they can figure, "Well, I'll go along with the majority on the lesser offense, at least he won't be executed and if he's innocent some other lawyer will prove it to some other jury."

[Tab]

40. Well, as I understand it

First degree murder is plotting the murder of the victim, making plans, and executing them (no pun intended).

Second degree murder is more of a "crime of passion" - something that happened in the moment.

Manslaughter is effectively accidental, but due to carelessness.

I don't think they can prove the murder was premeditated, but it did happen "in the moment", and thus they can hang him on second-degree.

It doesn't really matter because he's effectively out of society for the rest of his "productive" lifespan.

It's sad really - he was a brilliant producer. Was he nuts? Did he do (or continue to do) too many drugs? Couldn't say. But he definitely turned into a loose cannon, so to speak.

[imdjh]

15. Yeah, but given the first jury can you honestly say "beyond a reasonable doubt"?

I know nothing about the case or the trial, but if two jurors held fast on the first trial, I'd be inclined to say that there was reasonable doubt. I think the state should only have one shot at you.

[Politicalboi]

23. No they should not

This asshole was guilty. I don't know what held the 2 jurors back but I'm glad he got tried again. He tried to say that Lana Clarkson committed suicide. The woman had her purse around her shoulder and her teeth were clinched when "She" put the gun to her mouth. She was trying to leave and he didn't want her to go. Spector was also heard saying "He shot her". But then of course they get a slime ball attorney and then the plead not guilty. 5 other women testified he held guns their heads and threatened them if they left him. He is a nut who should have been put in jail while waiting for his trial to get started. He's another one like Madoff he has been at home all this time. If it was you or me we would have been in jail straight from the get go. He's a POS.

[Taverner]

24. Agreed. And he fucked up Let it Be too...

[rocktivity]

43. The first jury was 10-2 for conviction

Either the two were too starstruck, or dumb enough to believe that someone would kill themselves in the presence of someone who could advance their career practically overnight.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[imdjh]

53. So you're saying that the defense doesn't make sense.

And I respect that. Can you allow that the prosecution's case might not have made sense to two people like me, who regardless of the judge's instructions (possibly to the contrary) have their own very high standards of what constitutes a reasonable doubt when deciding whether to convict someone of a crime?

As for being starstruck, I wouldn't know who Phil Spector was other than a footnote in the bios of some of my favorite performers had it not been for these trials.

I hate to drag out the OJ trial, but I paid a lot more attention to that trial, watched the ongoing shows as it was happening, read the stuff as it came out, and I would have voted not-guilty. I would have done that for a couple of reasons.

1- It didn't make sense.

2- Everyone appeared to be lying about something or leaving something out.

[edbermac]

16. I don't think he meant to kill her.

But as you can see from the other posts, he had a history of getting flaky with guns. I know about the episode
with him firing a gun during a recording session with John Lennon from several bios I've read about John.

Phil was probably stoned and just pulled his stupid stunt one time too many.

[Politicalboi]

25. He deserved what he got

Actually I think it should have been 1st degree. He's done this many times. I would consider that premeditated. He knew what he was doing. As far as not meaning to kill her maybe. Fact is he did. He rolled the dice too many times and I hope he becomes someones bitch real soon.

[maxsolomon]

36. why do we always have to wish prison rape on convicts?

i don't really think that should be part of the sentence.

[sam sarrha]

38. the UN chastised the the USA for using homosexual rape as torture in its prisons

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. I watched a music documentary filmed like 20 years ago... The musicians

talked about how Phil pulled guns on them at his home. He has a long history of being cavalier with guns, particularly pulling guns on people to get them to stay or whatever. 6 years ago, Phil and the victim had the misfortune of the gun going off. While it probably was an accident, Phil was very negligent.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. What did his hair get?

[KamaAina]

7. Holy cats, does that guy look creepy!

:scared:

[Liberal Veteran]

18. He looks like a hobbit strung out on meth.

[KamaAina]

27. That'd be Gollum, basically

:puke:

[non sociopath skin]

34. Looks like a character from a Tim Burton animation.

I loved Spector's music but the guy was always an accident waiting to happen.

Amazed it took so long.

The Skin

[Turborama]

49. Did he think this lapel pin would help him out, somehow?

Phil Spector arrives at court in Los Angeles after jurors
announced they had reached a verdict in his murder trial.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/13/phil-spector-convicted-of-murder

[rocktivity]

11. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

One for each smart juror!

:headbang:
rocktivity

[ronnykmarshall]

14. They took his ass right into custody too!!

:bounce:

[Romulox]

12. Take that for ruining "The Long and Winding Road"!

:mad: :mad:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

19. nah - he saved that song...barely

say what you will about Phil Spector the piece of shit human being, but I gotta agree with John Lennon and George Harrison. Spector's production on that album was top-notch.
Still it's easily my least favorite Beatles song. I do find the Spector additions make McCartney at his most maudlin slightly tolerable.

[Romulox]

28. Opinions aside, check out "Let It Be...Naked" for a Specter-less remix of the entire album. nt

[onehandle]

37. 100% agree.

Naked, was like hearing the actual album for the first time...

Except I had the bootlegs long before that.

;-)

Still, it was nice of them to give us a perfect remaster of the non-Spectre... Specter tracks.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

41. I didn't care for the mixes McCartney came up with, but

I did like his running order
"Get back" was meant to be be a great opener

[underpants]

20. He killed Mrs. Vargas!!!!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165096/

[carlyhippy]

35. HOLY *&^%!!!! That IS mrs. vargas!!!

I didn't recognize the name!

[april]

22. Good ..I did watch this trial and he really needs to be sent away!

[Ticonderoga]

26. Man this dude even looks like a weirdo

Oh well he's 69 so whatever time he gets surely will be Life in Prison without parole.

[Liberal_in_LA]

45. we don't convict people cuz of bad hair! lol n/t

[chelsea0011]

30. Honestly, I watched much of the first trial and was astonished with a hung jury

How's that wall of sound going to fill an 8 by 10 cell?

[maxsolomon]

31. His Young Wife Rachel?

she married him when? AFTER he shot this girl in the face?

[MadMaddie]

39. You would be surprised at the number of women who flock

to the Mansons, Spectors and OJs. It's a sickness really...

[Doctor_J]

51. And record producers

[thelordofhell]

32. Don't drop the soap Phil

Whoa--oh--oh--oh--ooooooooooooooo

[maxsolomon]

55. again with the prison rape

do you really want him to be raped anally by another prisoner?

[carlyhippy]

33. It's nice to see that he fired his old hairdresser

This style doesn't look too bad. He's always been a different person.

[Quantess]

44. I like his new look.

Let's see him try to stay this vain in prison.

[Alexander]

47. Hairdresser? Spector's worn rugs for quite some time.

I bet they'll make him lose the toupee, just like Traficant.

[regnaD kciN]

42. Now Phil can look forward to his cellmate's rendition...

...of "Be My Baby." :evilgrin:

[Doctor_J]

50. NPR profile this AM. The guy's batshit crazy. Slam-dunk insanity defense

Mental illness in his family, obsessed with guns & gun-waving, paranoid...

[StrongBad]

52. C'mon, the dude produced "Be My Baby" and influenced Brian Wilson to make "Pet Sounds"

Cut him some slack.

[ardvark]

54. too bad really, he was the 'spark' of early 1960s sound and culture

not saying he shouldnt be punished, just saying the whole thing is kinda sad

in his time, the future looked great, and he was on top

now, the country's in the crapper, and he's in jail