Spector

People v. Spector

Good Law
128 Cal. Rptr. 3d 31·194 Cal. App. 4th 1335·2011 Cal. App. LEXIS 518
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaMay 2, 2011No. B216425California28,896 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

Klein, J.

*1342 Opinion

Defendant and appellant, Phillip Spector, appeals the judgment entered following his conviction, by jury trial, for second degree murder with firearm use enhancements (Pen. Code, §§ 187, 12022.5, 12022.53, subd. (b)). He was sentenced to state prison for a term of 19 years to life.

The judgment is affirmed.

INTRODUCTION

Phillip Spector was convicted of murdering Lana Clarkson, a woman he met one night at the House of Blues nightclub in Los Angeles, where she was working. Clarkson accepted Spector’s invitation to visit his home. They were driven there by Adriano De Souza, Spector’s chauffeur. According to De Souza, Spector came out of the house two hours later with a revolver in his hand and said he had killed someone. The police subsequently found Clarkson’s body slumped in a chair near the back door of Spector’s house. There was a revolver on the floor underneath one of her legs. She had been shot once in the head and neck, the bullet having entered through her mouth. Spector and Clarkson were the only two people inside the house when Clarkson was shot.

The question at trial was whether Spector had committed implied malice murder by killing Clarkson in the…

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