Phil Spector Gets At Least 19 Years for Murder
It's possible that Phil Spector could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Over a month after being found guilty of murder, a Los Angeles judge has sentenced the music legend to at least 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler slapped the 69-year-old producer with 15 years to life for second-degree murder and four years for personal use of a gun. The judge also ordered restitution payments.
A lawyer for Spector says an appeal is in the works and his client has "high hopes" that the decision will be overturned.
Although a jury deadlocked in Spector's first trial in the case in 2007, a retrial led to a guilty conviction on April 13. The jury, who deliberated for about 30 hours, had the option of choosing involuntary manslaughter, but opted not to.
Spector, who has two Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame following his work with talents including the Beatles, Ronettes and Righteous Brothers, did not testify at either trial.
Clarkson, who appeared in the film Barbarian Queen, died in Feb. 2003 as a result of a gunshot fired through the roof of her mouth as she sat in Spector's home. They had met a few hours prior to her death at her job as a VIP hostess at Hollywood's House of Blues.
Spector's defense was that Clarkson killed herself, but prosecutors argued he was "a very dangerous man" who had a history of threatening women with guns. Five women took the stand to recount incidents in which Spector endangered their lives with firearms. His driver also testified that he heard a loud noise and saw the producer leave the home, carrying a gun, saying, "I think I killed somebody."
Do you think at least 19 years in prison is a fair sentence? Weigh in below.
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READERS COMMENTS:
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No - 119 maybe
-- m. kay
nope, he should have gotten life, not parole. he lied, she didnt commit suicide. she was much bigger and stronger than spector, and she fought back!! she's a real warrior.
-- sophisticated
phil spector is crazy as a loon he deserves to be locked up in a mental hospital
-- faye45
He deserves the death penalty...if he killed that girl He could be put to death...stop using our tax dollars to pay for a murderer to sit in jail
-- ...HmL
I think he should get life in prison, with out any bail, taken out of the Hall of Fame, be stripped on his Grammy's, and be put in solitary. To shoot someone in the mouth you'd have to be pretty messed up and dangerous.
-- Your Name Here
ugh. =[ murder is such a terrible thing.
-- rachelllclearyyy on AIM :)
I think that he should get more than 19 years. that was a cold blooded murder and i think that 19 years isnt long enough.
-- destiny
Not only should he get 19 years in prison he should be removed from the hall of fame and placed into the hall of shame...that should be the next pettition circulated...REMOVE HIM FROM THE HALL OF FAME...who agrees?
-- Anonymous
19 YEARS FOR HIM IS ENOUGH
BECAUSE HE PROBABLY WON'T SURVIVE THAT. -- MS
I would of liked it if he got life in prison!! He is a maniac!! Playing russian rullet with a loaded gun, it was a matter of time before he killed one of the women and he finnaly did!! Life!!!! In Prison!!!!!
-- barby |
