Trials & Litigation
Court TV Video May Be Evidence in New Phil Spector Murder Trial
Posted Jul 30, 2008, 11:06 am CDT
By Martha Neil
Video footage taken by a Court TV camera as a witness was testifying last year in the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector probably will be admitted in a new trial scheduled to start in October.
The witness, Dianne Ogden, who testified that Spector threatened her with a gun, died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in December, and Judge Larry Fidler must now decide whether to admit the video or a written transcript of her testimony at the retrial of the Los Angeles County Superior Court case, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Spector's second-degree murder trial last year ended with a hung jury. He is accused of having shot to death Lana Clarkson, 40, a former movie actress working as a restaurant hostess, after she accompanied him to his home in February 2003. The defense contended she shot herself.
Enhancing the legal drama of the case, Spector, who is now 67, has changed counsel several times. Observers watched with interest, for example, as Spector's original lead trial lawyer, Bruce Cutler, initially announced that he would be spending daytime hours filming a reality court television program and subsequently withdrew from the case prior to the closing argument.
The defense objected to showing the videotaped cross-examination of Ogden, which was conducted by Cutler, in the new trial, the Times notes. It "drew the ire of Ogden, the judge and [Spector]," the newspaper reports, because of Cutler's "aggressive, bombastic approach that included yelling at the witness."
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Phil Spector Wants Return of $1 Million Legal Fee"
ABAJournal.com: "Phil Spector Hires New Lawyer, No Retrial for Months"
ABAJournal.com: "Wanted: New Spector Defense Lawyers"
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