Shapiro: Spector Will Be Cleared
Record producer Phil Spector, the 1960s recording-studio wizard who created pop music's Wall of Sound, was charged Thursday with murder in the shooting death of a woman at his home last February.
Spector, 63, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Thursday afternoon in the slaying of 40-year-old Lana Clarkson, a B-movie actress and model found dead in the foyer of his Alhambra mansion.
With celebrity defense lawyer Robert Shapiro standing by his side, Spector waived his right to a speedy trial. The judge set a Jan. 23 hearing to choose a date for a preliminary hearing to determine whether the case should go to trial.
Spector, his hair falling to his shoulders in curls, wore a long black coat and platform shoes with 3-inch heels.
He has been free on $1 million bail since his arrest for investigation of murder shortly after the shooting Feb. 3. Authorities have not given a motive or commented on other details of the investigation.
The felony complaint did not specify whether prosecutors will seek a first-degree or second-degree murder conviction. District Attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison with a possibility of parole.
The development created the unusual scene of two major music artists facing criminal proceedings in the same day. As the charges against Spector were announced, hundreds of reporters were waiting in Santa Barbara County for Michael Jackson to surrender in a case involving child molestation.
Robert Shapiro, as it happens, was Jackson's lawyer the last time he faced a child molestation allegation - ten years ago. He is even better known for his role as one of O.J. Simpson's attorneys during the infamous 1994 trial in which Simpson was acquitted of the charge of murdering his wife.
Thursday, Shapiro stuck close by Spector as he waved off reporters, indicating that they would have no comment other than the "not guilty" plea entered in court.
But later, in a statement, Shapiro predicted Spector will be vindicated.
"We have assembled a team of scientific experts which is among the most respected and prestigious in the world," said Shapiro. "Based on this team's findings of this horrible human event, any jury will conclude that Phil Spector is not guilty."
Another prominent attorney, Marvin Mitchelson, also commented Thursday. Mitchelson is not involved in the case but he is a close friend of Spector's.
"I am shocked, saddened," said Mitchelson. "But I fully believe that time will prove Phil's complete innocence."
Spector has denied he killed Clarkson, suggesting in an Esquire magazine interview that she may have shot herself. After more than six months of investigation, authorities concluded Spector shot her.
Spector began his climb to music industry fame in 1958, when a song he wrote and performed with two friends - as the group, The Teddy Bears - became a hit. The success of "To Know Is To Love Him" nevertheless did not reduce the serious case of stage fright Spector felt at every live performance, and after group broke up, he tried a number of jobs - including court stenographer - before switching to the behind-the-scenes part of the music business.
Spector is famous for creating the Wall of Sound that involved overdubbing of multiple instruments, vocals and sound effects create a full, dramatic effect. The technique changed the way pop records were produced while bringing fame to groups like the Ronettes and the Crystals.
Among the hits bearing his signature style are "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals; "Walking in the Rain" by the Ronettes and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin"' by the Righteous Brothers.
He also worked with Elvis Presley and Ike and Tina Turner, produced the last Beatles album, "Let It Be," in 1970, worked with John Lennon on "Imagine," and helped Yoko Ono produce Lennon's work after he was killed in 1980.
But there apparently was a dark side to Spector's genius, with stories of drunken rages, violence against a former wife, and a penchant for brandishing firearms.
Spector's last major album was a 1980s collaboration with the Ramones, "End of the Century." During the session, the late bassist Dee Dee Ramone said Spector pulled a gun on the band.
The investigation into the Clarkson killing had been under way since February. Gibbons said the long delay in charges was due to a lengthy investigation by the sheriff's office.
"The sheriff didn't turn over the evidence to us until Sept. 18," she said. "We had a tremendous amount of evidence to evaluate and we had to gather additional evidence on our own."
She noted that the prosecutor initially assigned to lead the case, Michael Latin, was appointed to a judgeship in the waning days of Gov. Gray Davis' administration and the prosecution team had to be reconfigured.