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Phil Spector's scientific defense
Apr 27, 2007, 11:40 GMT
Phil Spector listens to testimony from first prosecution witness Dorothy Melvin, at his murder trial, 26 April 2007 at Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, California. Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson. EPA/GABRIEL BOUYS/POOL
Phil Spector's lawyers told a court they could scientifically prove the actress he is accused of killing shot herself.
On the second day of the music producer's murder trial yesterday (26.04.07), the jury heard Lana Clarkson accidentally committed suicide at the defendant's mansion in February 2003 while under the influence of alcohol and painkillers.
Defence lawyer Linda Kenney-Baden admitted they did not know Clarkson's motives but claimed she had been depressed.
Kenney-Baden said: "What we do know is that she put the barrel (of the gun) in her mouth. We know she was drinking, we know she was taking pills."
Spector's lawyers claim forensic evidence will prove he was not holding the shotgun when it went off, adding he was too far away to shoot Clarkson, 40.
Kenney-Baden explained that while "a lot" of gunshot residue (GSR) was found on Clarkson's hands and jacket none was found on Spector's shirt or the right sleeve of his jacket.
She said: "It proves that this means he did not shoot that gun. He was too far away to be holding the gun and get GSR on his clothes.
"It's not supposition, it's not hypothesis, it is scientific fact."
Lead defence attorney Bruce Cutler added Spector - who arrived at the Los Angeles court wearing platform shoes and a dark three-piece suit - "had no motive to hurt this woman and "harboured no malice towards this woman".
Meanwhile, prosecutors - who claim Spector, 67, had a "rich history of violence" and had previously pulled guns on unarmed women - called the producer's former girlfriend as their first witness.
Dorothy Melvin described a vodka-fuelled incident in 1993 during which her ex-lover confronted her with both a revolver and a shotgun, struck her twice in the head and ordered her to strip at gunpoint.
She said: "I was sobbing and I said, 'Why are you doing this Phillip? Why are you doing this?' I was crying. I was terrified."
When cross-examined, Melvin conceded she never pressed charges and maintained contact with Spector after the episode.
The musical genius will face life in prison if he is convicted of killing Clarkson at his Los Angeles hilltop mansion on February 3, 2003.
The trial, which is being televised live, is expected to last for up to three months.
(C) BANG Media International
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Older Talkback
page: 1
It's interesting to me that in the O.J. trial, the prosecution tried to use scientific evidence to convict but the defense was able to place doubt in the jurors minds about the accuracy of the science. In this trial, it is the defense who desires to use science as proof of Spector's innocence.
As a therapist myself, I find it extremely hard to believe that (even if personally depressed), that Miss Clarkson would go to a complete stranger's house and for no apparent reason decide to commit suicide.
Testimony from co-workers do not describe Clarkson as deeply depressed, withdrawn or emotionally unstable when she worked that night. In fact, someone depressed enough to commit suicide would most likely not report for work (especially in a social setting like a club, which increases anxiety), but would either call in sick, or simply not show.
Secondly, Miss Clarkson is quoted as saying that Marilyn Monroe was her 'idol,' and in the event she did want to commit suicide, would more likely use the same method as Monroe, (an overdose) rather than using a gun.
Most of the evidence seems to point to Spector, who had a history of using gun threats to get what he wanted from women. In a drunken stupor, he probably killed Miss Clarkson accidentally...nevertheless, I would say he did the shooting, based upon his past actions with firearms.
It seems to me that a better defense would have been to admit to Involuntary Manslaughter and agree to seek intensive treatment for substance abuse and anger issues. Instead, he's depending upon his fame and celebrity to get him off scott free.
The 'scientific evidence' produced so far does not seem to solidify the defense's case. Gun residue on Clarkson's hands could very well indicate she placed her hands in front of the gun as a 'defensive move,' rather than proving she shot herself. The fact that Spector had little (or even no residue) on his own hands could be answered with the fact that he is known to have went into a restroom nearby to wash up blood. He had plenty of time to wash himself rather thoroughly before officers arrived at the scene.
More than anything else, however, I simply do not believe that Miss Clarkson exhibited a 'state of mind,' of suicide leading up to the shooting.
page: 1
Gunshot ResidueApr 27th, 2007 - 23:09:29
What was the pattern of GSR on Clarkson? Does one of her hands or feet have the elevated levels we would expect if she had used that limb to pull the trigger? If she did do this, the pattern should be compatible with some possible position wherein she could have pulled the trigger with the shotgun in her mouth.
If it was a really premeditated murder, of course, he could have masked himself with a sheet and pulled the trigger (and disposed of the sheet, ideally, before the police arrived).
I'd be real interested on the patterns of GSR not just on Clarkson and Spector, but around Clarkson's body.
If the defense's position is correct, it should be demonstrable forensically, assuming competence on the part of the police and the prosecution.
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