Jury selection in Spector trial begins
The murder trial of rock legend Phil Spector began today with jury selection, an arduous process that is expected to last weeks.
Spector, a record producer who reached the height of his fame almost two generations ago, is accused of killing Lana Clarkson, an actress and nightclub hostess, who was found shot to death in his Alhambra mansion on Feb. 3, 2003.
Spector arrived this morning at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse wearing an open-collar shirt, a dark, knee-length coat, and shoes with high heels. He was accompanied by his wife, Rachelle Short, and his attorney, Roger J. Rosen.
He looked cheerful, flashing a polite smile at the hordes of reporters eager for any indication of how he has coped with four years of turmoil. Inside, he appeared very interested as the proceedings unwound.
Today and tomorrow, lawyers will begin assembling a pool of 300 prospective jurors that eventually will be trimmed to form the 12-person jury. Potential jurors have been screened for personal and financial hardship in a trial that is expected to last three to four months.
Those who make the cut will eventually have to fill out a questionnaire, and lawyers will use the next month to evaluate the answers.
Attorneys are scheduled to return April 9 for a pretrial hearing and on April 16 for the voir dire phase, when they will question prospective jurors.
Opening arguments are expected to begin April 30 before Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, who has allowed the trial to be broadcast.
The first panel of 75 prospective jurors appeared this morning. Asked by Fidler if any would have difficulty serving on a trial that could last through spring, 34 raised their hands.
Fidler was sympathetic as he listened to those who said they had to care for people with health problems or for children. Others said their employers would not pay them during such a lengthy absence, and a few said they had already paid for scheduled vacations.
The judge excused 26 people. The remaining individuals were given questionnaires asking how much they knew about the case and their feelings about celebrities. They were told to return April 16.
Fidler assured prospective jurors that if they were selected, their faces would not be shown on television. He said they would not be sequestered but would eat lunch together every day so they would not have to leave the courthouse.
Fidler also assured them they would be protected from the media; he said was not worried about the mainstream media but was concerned "fringe members" could disrupt their privacy.
Another pool of 75 arrived this afternoon, and two more panels are scheduled to appear Tuesday. Seventeen additional people were excused in the afternoon session.
As local celebrity trials go, Spector's follows in a tradition that includes O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson and Robert Blake.
Though famous in rock circles for his work with such groups as the Crystals and Ronettes, Spector is less famous than Simpson and Blake, who were acquitted of murder charges. Jackson, the biggest music star in the group, was acquitted of child molestation charges in Santa Barbara.
Jurors will have to figure out what happened in the early hours of Feb. 3, 2003, when Clarkson's body was found slumped in a chair in the foyer of Spector's home, her face blown apart by a gunshot.
Prosecutors contend that Spector killed Clarkson. Spector has called the incident a suicide. Gunshot residue was found on both of her hands.
Spector, 66, had spent the evening hours of Feb. 2 at favored haunts, including Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills and Dan Tana's in West Hollywood. He and a friend ended up at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
There, Spector met Clarkson, 40, an actress who starred in several films directed by Roger Corman, including "Barbarian Queen." She had a role in such films as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and had appeared in numerous TV shows, including "Knight Rider," "Happy Days" and "Three's Company."
Despite her credits, Clarkson's acting career was in eclipse and she was working as a hostess at the Foundation Room, the VIP area of the House of Blues.
Spector has pleaded not guilty and has been free on $1-million bail since his arrest.
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