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Disgraced music producer Phil Spector, known for his technique called "Wall of Sound" and producing John Lennon’s solo album Imagine, was found guilty in the shooting death of renowned American actress Lana Clarkson inside his California mansion in February 2003.
According to the prosecution, Spector shot Clarkson after an argument fueled by drinking after she declined to have s*x with him. At his trial, multiple women testified that Spector threatened them, using a gun during similar encounters. In 2009, he received a 19-year-long sentence during his re-trial. The music producer was also convicted of committing a felony while in possession of a firearm.
Phil Spector was hospitalized during the COVID-19 outbreak while he was serving his sentence and died in January 2021. An upcoming docuseries titled Spector on Showtime will now revisit the high-profile case. It airs this Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
Phil Spector's trial for Lana Clarkson's 2003 murder case began in 2007
In May 2009, rock 'n' roll music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to life in prison for murdering actress Lana Clarkson on February 3, 2003. They met while Clarkson was working at the House of Blues nightclub in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge mandated that the music producer spend a minimum of 19 years.
Clarkson, 40, was found dead in a chair inside Spector's Alhambra mansion in Los Angeles with a single but fatal bullet wound through her mouth. The incident reportedly happened on the same night the two met while the actress was working at the nightclub. The pair went over to Spector's home in his limo and it was the limo driver who made the 911 call after hearing the gunshot that killed the actress.
Phil Spector's first trial commenced in April 2007, and ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in September. His case was scheduled for a retrial the following year in October.
In court, his driver testified that on the night of Clarkson's murder, Spector shot someone and then rushed out of the mansion, clutching a gun in his hand and saying, "I think I killed somebody." The defense contended that the victim, who featured in low-budget films including The Barbarian Queen, committed suicide because of her inability to find work. They called it an "accidental suicide."
However, evidence presented at the trial revealed that Spector had previously used a gun to harass women. Dr. Louis Pena, a forensic pathologist, testified in court, noting that Clarkson's tongue was severely bruised. According to him, this suggested that the murder weapon—a gun—was forced into her mouth using great pressure. Moreover, the bullet completely obliterated her front teeth.
Dr. Pena reportedly stated:
"The bruise is very unique and is consistent with blunt-force trauma. Something struck the tongue."
Phil Spector died at the age of 81 while serving time for Clarskson's murder
Phil Spector was finally found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder in April 2009. He was also found guilty of using a firearm to commit a crime, which added four years to his sentence of 19 years to life. While serving time at the California Health Care Facility, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and died at the San Joaquin General Hospital on January 16, 2021, at the age of 81.
The docuseries Spector premieres this Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 9 pm ET on Showtime.
