Thaindian News

Phil Spector, the eccentric music producer who invented the “Wall of Sound” recording technique was sentenced to a minimum of 19 years jail for the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, a Hollywood actress.

Spector, 69, was convicted of second-degree murder in April by a Los Angeles jury after a second trial – the first trial ended in a deadlock in 2007.

Lana Clarkson, 40, a B-movie actress, died of a shot to the mouth, fired from Spector’s gun in the foyer of his mock castle home outside Los Angeles on February 3, 2003. The two had met hours earlier at a Hollywood nightclub.

The sentence of 19 year to life means that Spector must spend at least 19 years in jail before being eligible for parole. If not paroled, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Spector has been held in custody since his April 13 conviction, after being free on bail following his arrest in 2003.

While prosecutors said the shooting of Clarkson was part of a pattern of gun play and violence that Spector displayed toward women over the past 20 years, his lawyers argued Clarkson was depressed about her failing career and had committed suicide.

Spector, who worked with The Ronettes, The Beatles, Cher and Leonard Cohen at the height of his fame, denied murdering Clarkson but did not testify at either trial.

Shortly before Clarkson was shot, Spector told British journalist Mick Brown in a rare interview that he had a bipolar personality and had “devils that fight inside me.”

In 2006, he quietly wed for the fourth time, marrying model/actress Rachelle Short, who is about 30-years his junior.