US:More than four years after an actor and part-time waitress was found dead of gunshot wounds in the lobby of Phil Spector's palatial home, the legendary 1960s record producer was yesterday described as "sinister and deadly" on the first day of his trial in Los Angeles.
Taking a lesson from Michael Jackson, Mr Spector (62) wore an off-white frock coat over a matching waistcoat and open-necked, purple shirt. Standing to face the jury as they took their seats, he appeared nervous and grey-faced. Seated behind him was his 26-year-old wife, Rachelle, and family members of Lana Clarkson, the woman found dead in his house.
In his opening statement, deputy district attorney Alan Jackson addressed the jury of nine men and three women, describing Mr Spector as someone "who, when he's confronted with the right circumstances, when he's confronted with the right situations, turns sinister and deadly . . . The evidence is going to paint a picture of a man, who on February 3rd, 2003, put a loaded pistol in Lana Clarkson's mouth - inside her mouth - and shot her to death."
Mr Spector pleads not guilty. His lawyers were due to make their opening statement later yesterday.
The trial stems from events a little over four years ago. In the early hours of Monday, February 3rd, 2003, Mr Spector's stand-in chauffeur, Adriano DeSouza, was in the producer's black Mercedes outside the grandly named Pyrenees Castle, when he says he heard what sounded like a shot. As he got out to investigate, Mr Spector emerged in a white jacket, carrying a gun. "I think I killed somebody," he said.
What happened up to that point is known only to one person, Mr Spector, and it is quite possible he does not really remember. When police, called by the driver, entered the mansion, they found a lifeless Ms Clarkson sprawled on a chair, her head tilted back, the bottom of her mouth blown off and a blue steel 36-calibre Colt revolver under her left leg. In the gun were five live cartridges, under the hammer a spent cartridge.
Mr Spector appeared dazed, according to police reports, alternately railing against the officers and apologising for the misunderstanding. His state could have been the result of shock, alcohol, the medication he was on or the 50,000 volts of electricity he received when police used a Taser on him after he allegedly failed to remove his hands from his pockets.
Mr Spector was arrested. But 12 hours later he was released on bail in the company of his lawyer, Robert Shapiro, a former member of the OJ Simpson defence team. He was charged that November.
Mr Spector and Ms Clarkson had met a few hours earlier at the House of Blues nightclub, where she was a hostess. The club was Mr Spector's fourth stop and Ms Clarkson his third partner of the night. When he suggested a nightcap, she agreed.
The trial is expected to last two months. Judge Larry Fidler, an advocate of judicial openness, has allowed cameras into the courtroom, which could increase the level of interest. But Mr Spector is not OJ or Jackson. His fame largely rests with those in the music business and those from another era. To today's young music fans, Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound carry little weight.- (Guardian service)