Apr 25, 2007 10:20 am US/Eastern
Spector Murder Trial In High-Gear
Opening Statements On Tap; He's Accused Of Shooting Actress In His Mansion
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Phil Spector is being tried for the death of actress Lana Clarkson in Los Angeles. (File)
GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Wednesday in the case against music producer Phil Spector, arrested nearly four years ago in the death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot in Spector's mansion.
The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman observes that Spector's fate is in the hands of a jury that reflects the entertainment industry he once thrived in.
The panel of nine men and three women includes a TV news producer, a vice president of a movie and music company, and a television technician.
And that's potentially good news for both sides in the case, asserts jury consultant Kathy Kellerman.
"It's a dream jury, demographically, for the prosecution," Kellerman says, "… (but) these people who are more advanced in their professions are also very creative, a great sign for the defense."
A major music producer in the 1960s, Spector was on the down slope of his career when he met Clarkson, who was still hoping for her big break, Kauffman says. But the night they met was the night she died.
Defense attorney Bruce Cutler insists, "There was no crime here. This lady died in Phil Spector's home, but there was no crime."
The defense will argue Clarkson was depressed and committed suicide, Kauffman points out. But the prosecution will try to prove Spector shot her when she rebuffed his sexual advances.
CBS News legal analyst Trent Copeland adds: "A number of key witnesses will also testify that Spector, when pushed to the point where he can explode, takes out a gun, and has done so numerous times in the past."
According to his driver's notes, the night in question was a busy one for Spector, Kauffman reports. The notes show a timeline that includes Spector taking one date to dinner, taking her home, returning to the restaurant to pick up a second date, taking her home, picking up Clarkson at two in the morning, heading to Spector's mansion at three and, at five a.m., allegedly telling the driver, "I think I killed somebody."
Hollywood likes a good trial, Kauffman says, and this one's not likely to disappoint — the hairdos alone should keep it interesting. Spector's known for unusual ones.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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