When Phil Spector dies, chances are that people will remember him for his barmy haircut most of all – that is unless Phil Spector is found guilty of shooting an actress in the face and gets sentenced to life in jail, in which case it'll probably be that.
And soon enough we'll discover if Phil Spector murdered actress Lana Clarkson by firing a gun into her mouth, because the long-awaited Phil Spector murder trial is about to get underway. Well, we mean the Phil Spector murder trial will get underway after a jury has been picked and everyone takes a month off and then all the jurors are individually interviewed after the break. So the Phil Spector murder trial won't actually start for another six weeks. But, hey, jury selection is kind of exciting. Right?
Even though the last work he did was on a Starsailor album of all things, Phil Spector's influence on the world of music can still be felt. Phil Spector produced Tina Turner. Phil Spector produced The Ramones. Phil Spector produced The Beatles. The Beach Boys wouldn't exist if it weren't for Phil Spector and – thanks Spector's production on Unchained Melody – nor would Simon Cowell. Just last week Phil Spector's girlband The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But, just to take the shine off Phil Spector's musical achievements, there's also a pretty good chance that he murdered an actress four years ago too.
Back in 2003 Phil Spector was arrested for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, after her dead body was found in his pretend Hollywood castle and now – following several delays – the Phil Spector murder trial is slowly creaking into action with the two-day jury selection process beginning today, as ABC reports:
Jurors will be asked to unravel conflicting evidence about what happened before police found Clarkson, 40. The coroner's office called it a homicide "death by the hand of another" but also noted that Clarkson had gunshot residue on both of her hands and may have pulled the trigger. In an e-mail to friends, Spector, 66, called the death "an accidental suicide." He has pleaded not guilty and has been free on $1 million bail since his arrest. Spector faces life in prison if convicted. His New York lawyer, Bruce Cutler, said his defense will be simple: "He didn't shoot this woman." But prosecutors claim he placed the gun in her mouth and fired.
Thanks to various procedures – including interviews with jurors, pretrial hearings and a one-month break – the jury won't be expected to sit until the end of next month, at which point the televised Phil Spector murder trial will begin. Choosing a jury will be a tricky task, though – potential jurors will no doubt be influenced by how aware of Phil Spector's music they are. Defence lawyers are already said to be keen to push for music fans to sit in the jury, since they'll probably be more sympathetic to Spector. Unless they've heard Silence Is Easy by Starsailor, obviously, in which case it'll be straight to the electric chair with no dinner.
One thing's for sure, though – once the Phil Spector murder trial jury is chosen, expect books. When Michael Jackson was found innocent of child molestation, jurors rushed to publish books called things like Actually He Probably Did Do It Now I Come To Think Of It, and that trend will probably continue with Phil Spector's jury. And then there's Phil Spector himself. If Phil is found innocent of murder, there's a chance he'll write his If I Did I, Here's How It Happened soon afterwards, or – if he's found guilty – his If I Did It, Here… No, Wait, I Did Do It, Didn't I? Whoops, Silly Old Me.
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monique says
stuart,
i just have to say AGAIN, you are such a talented writer, informative, WHILE witty and funny – from the title of this piece “Phil Spector Murder Trial: Afro-Loving Jury Being Picked” with the accompanying PERFECT photo of his ‘afro,’ and then later referring to his new do as “lesbian wig;” to “…Unless they’ve heard Silence Is Easy by Starsailor, obviously, in which case it’ll be straight to the electric chair with no dinner.” i’m still laughing throughout each article. i did a google search for other stuff you’ve written – expect to go far in the future. in the meantime, thanks for your articles on this case, i saw it on tv and wanted to know what it was all about and found your articles in a search on the subject. great job! wish you had stuff on michael vick (dog-fighting).