MySpace Twist In Phil Spector Trial

Apparent Threat To Judge Is Posted By Name Similar To Spector's Wife's

(AP)  Authorities on Tuesday investigated an Internet posting that appeared to threaten the judge in Phil Spector's murder trial, as jurors continued to deliberate whether the music producer killed actress Lana Clarkson.

The posting was on a MySpace page described as "Team Spector," said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Whitmore would not comment on the wording of the posting, but Superior Court spokesman Alan Parachini said it contained the words "I love Phil Spector" and "The Evil Judge should DIE!!!!" and was signed "xoxo Chelle." The posting has been removed, he said.

Spector's wife is named Rachelle, but one of the producer's defense attorneys, Christopher Plourd, said she denied having anything to do with the posting.

Rachelle Spector, a 27-year-old self-described musician, recently clashed with Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler when he scolded her about giving a TV interview and then e-mailing reporters about it. The judge imposed a gag order on her and others after she talked back to him in court.

Tuesday marked the 11th day of jury deliberations, but some of those days have been very short. The jury recessed deliberations Tuesday afternoon and was to resume talks Wednesday.

Spector, 67, is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 3, 2003, death of Clarkson, 40. She was killed by a gunshot fired in her mouth as she sat in the foyer of Spector's mansion after meeting him at her job as a nightclub hostess.

Spector emerged on the music scene in the late 1950s and became a top producer using a hit-making recording technique that became known as the "Wall of Sound." His prominence faded after the 1970s.

Clarkson was best known as the star of Roger Corman's 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen" and another way-out film, "Amazon Women on the Moon," and had a string of bit parts on sitcoms including "Three's Company."

The defense contended Clarkson was depressed and the shot was self-inflicted, either an accident or a suicide.

The case went to the jury Sept. 10, and the foreman told the judge on Sept. 18 that the panel was deadlocked. After two days of debate among attorneys, the judge revised jury instructions, and the panel resumed talks late Thursday.

[bill1fj]

Just heard that a mistrial was finally declared.

[bill1fj]

When is a deadlocked jury doomed to spend the rest of their lives on jury duty? In this case.

You would think after all this time of being dead locked the judge would put an end to it.

Seems like the judge has his own agenda.

[tucano2]

The judge totally blew it, the trial, by issuing one after another "instruction" to the jury each and cumulatively designed to secure a conviction, of any sort whatsoever regardless the facts in evidence. That a poster stated the judge should DIE certainly is no surprise. The incompetent judge will die sooner or later is a certainty. Nothing in the post indicated the poster planned to carry out any action to hasten the day the judge would die.

[thgdriver]

What the judge did was an abomination of justice. When the jury told him they were deadlocked he told them how this young girl died and may have had help.

That is not instructing the jury, that is "TESTIMONY".

The defense was enraged and rightly so.

I am not an attorney, but if the jury finds him guilty his defense lawyers have a very strong case against the judge for a mistrial.

[nolalou]

nwihoosier,

Sorry, but Phil Spector DID produce the "Let it Be" album after he was hired by John Lennon and George Harrison to rescue the hours of recordings done before the Beatles break-up. In fact, many say that was the last straw that lead to the break-up, since Paul McCartney was upset with Spector''s work, and how he added orchestration and sting music to the background of "Long and Winding Road" and other songs on the album. This led McCartey to later release ''Let it be - Naked'' with all of Spector''s input removed.

[mobilmech]

well i dont mean to rain on anyones parade but Phil actually did do some post production work for the beatles on thier let it be album as well as producing John Lennons and George Harrisons first solo albums , not to mention other top names like the beach boys and the Righteous Brothers ,, anyway just the facts and nothing but the facts lol ....

[lawandorder7]

You all don''t know what you are talking about. So there.

[mitch0927]

yeah sevenveils, apparently you''re the one living under a rock. Know your facts before posting them, because it only makes you look STUPID!!!!!!

[nwihoosier]

Hey sevenveils GEORGE MARTIN produced the Beatles records Know what you''re talking about before commenting

[sevenveils]

Brianbwb - do you live under a rock and never heard of the Beatles? His work producing this band''s records have given him the fame. Maybe you are confusing him with someone associated with American Idol?