Spector Jurors Say They’re Deadlocked

Criminal Justice

Posted Sep 18, 2007, 07:02 pm CST
By Martha Neil

A week after deliberations began, jurors in Phil Spector's second-degree murder trial say they can't agree on a resolution.

But although the panel reports it's divided almost equally between those who believe the famed music producer is guilty and those who don't, the case isn't over yet, reports the Los Angeles Times. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler rejected a defense motion for a mistrial and sent the nine-man, three-woman panel home, with instructions to return tomorrow.

"It is possible I may give you further instructions tomorrow," Fidler told the jurors. "Just set the case aside for the rest of the day."

The newspaper says the judge also plans to discuss at a hearing on Thursday whether to offer the jury the option of convicting Spector on a lesser charge.

Spector, now 67, is accused of shooting Lana Clarkson, a 40-year-old restaurant hostess and former movie actress, to death at his home on Feb. 3, 2003. The defense says she accidentally shot herself.

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