September 27, 2007 0:56

Phil Spector murder trial ends in mistrial

The deadlocked jury could not agree on a verdict

The murder trial of famed music producer Phil Spector ended in a mistrial today (September 26) because the jurors were unable to agree on a verdict.

After 12 days of deliberation, the jury foreman announced that the panel was deadlocked at 10 to 2. He did not indicate which way they were leaning.

The jury announced last week that they had reached a 7-5 impasse, after which Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler issued further instructions in hopes of enabling them to reach a decision.

After learning today that the jury had reached an impasse once again, Fidler declared a mistrial.

"At this time, I will find that the jury is unable to arrive at a verdict and declare a mistrial in this matter," Fidler said.

Spector - the pioneer behind the 1960s Wall Of Sound technique - is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his Los Angeles mansion on February 3, 2003, hours after meeting her at the House Of Blues on Sunset Strip where she worked. The defence contends that Clarkson shot herself in the mouth.

The jury heard approximately five months of testimony, during which several friends and employees of the producer, as well as Clarkson's mother, took the stand.

Prosecutors also called five women from Spector's past who testified that he had threatened them with guns.

In a news conference held after the mistrial announcement, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said that they would immediately begin preparing for a retrial.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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