Phil Spector Sentenced to 19 to Life for Murder of Lana Clarkson
Phil Spector was sentenced earlier today to 19 years to life in prison for the 1993 murder of Lana Clarkson.
Back in April, a jury found Phil Spector, 69, guilty of second degree murder after a 5 month long retrial. The first trial ended with jurors reached a deadlock in September 2007. In the second trial, the jury was given the option to have Spector convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Spector is credited with revolutionizing pop music in the 1960s with his layered “Wall of Sound” production technique. He worked with legendary musicians like The Ronettes, The Beatles, Cher and Leonard Cohen at the height of his career.
Lana Clarkson, 40, a B-movie actress, died as a result of being shot the mouth. The shot was fired from Spector’s gun in the foyer of his mock castle home outside Los Angeles on Feb. 3, 2003. The two had met just a few hours earlier at a Hollywood nightclub.
According to reports, Phil Spector exhibited recklessness and a complete lack of respect for women going as far back as 20 years and violence and gunplay were regular happening around him. Spector’s lawyers tried to argue that Clarkson had committed suicide on her own.
