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Phil Spector Guilty of Second-Degree Murder of Lana Clarkson

by Jordan Yerman | April 13, 2009 at 11:02 am

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Update: Music producer Phil Spector has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson.

Spector was taken into custody after the verdict was read, and now awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for May 29. He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The jurors in the Phil Spector murder trial have reached a verdict, which will be announced at 2pm PDT. Spector, the music producer famous for developing the Wall of Sound effect, is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in his Los Angeles mansion.

The six men and six women began their deliberations on March 26. They deliberated for about 30 hours.

Jurors had to decide whether Spector, 69 was guilty of second-degree murder or a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Background info is available via our feature channel.

As of this morning, the jury had spent about 29 hours discussing the case over eight days since March 26.

Spector, 69, is charged with murder in the Feb. 3, 2003, shooting death of 40-year-old actress and House of Blues VIP hostess Lana Clarkson at his mansion in Alhambra. He claims she shot herself with his gun.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler has told jurors that they can consider convicting Spector of involuntary manslaughter instead of second-degree murder.