A. Introduction
The body of Lana Clarkson was found in the early morning of February 3, 2003, in a Phil Spector’s mansion. Spector was accused of the incidence and first tried for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2007. He was tried for the second time in 2008 for second degree murder. On April 13, 2009, Spector was found guilty by the jury and sentenced to 19 years to life imprisonment on the 29 th of May 2009 as provided by California’s second-degree murder laws ( Irwin, 2010) . In the last trial, the defendant was charged and convicted for the violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a) (Kriegler & Bender, 2017). The jury found Spector to have unlawfully and with intent, murdered Lana Clarkson.
The burden of proof utilized in the tribunal court ranged from the evidence of Clarkson’s body was found tumbled in a chair with the legs stretched out and was shot in the mouth with a revolver. Whereas forensic evidence did not link Spector to the death of Clarkson, a pack of Viagra that had a couple of tablets missing was recovered in Spector’s briefcase. In addition to an empty tequila bottle with two glasses on the table that had fingerprints matching those of Spector and Lana, there was a witness statement with incriminating evidence against the accused (Kriegler & Bender, 2017). The incriminating evidence provided proof of Spector’s association with cases of welding guns at women when under the influence of alcohol. Further evidence indicated that the murder weapon had blood smeared on it and that the defendant tried to wipe his fingerprints off. The gun was placed under the victim’s left ankle despite her being right-handed, indicating that the murder weapon was planted ( Bove, 2008; Comiskey, Yarin, Kim, & Attinger, 2016).
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Spector was an accomplished producer who worked with, among other artists, the Beatles. He had eccentric behavior that included his gun use outbursts as well as his reclusion in Los Angeles. Spector’s trial was vital to the prosecution of crimes in the United States for such reasons as a man of his stature was not expected to be found guilty. In terms of securing a win for the prosecution team, it was important to prove that social stature was no hindrance to justice in the United State.
B. Opening Statements
In his opening statement, Alan Jackson, the prosecutor, pointed out that Spector was an individual who when provided with the right situations and circumstances, would turn sinister or even deadly (Kriegler & Bender, 2017). Moreover, the prosecutor indicated that the evidence was going to prove that Spector loaded a pistol, put it in Lana’s mouth and fired, killing her to death. According to the prosecutor, the evidence to be presented would paint him as a deadly man who took the life of Lana with intent. In the trial, Jackson gave the jury more significant facts to consider. Contrastingly, the defense attorney’s opening statements indicated that the defendant was innocent and did not kill Lana Clarkson.
C. Establishing/Challenging a Prima Facie Case for Murder
The chauffeur was a key witness who aided the prosecution to establish a prima facie case. The chauffeur had driven Clarkson and Spector from the House of Blues to Spector’s mansion in Los Angeles, California. The driver had then waited in the car as the couple went inside, after which, he heard a gunshot an hour later. After the gunshot, Spector emerged from the house through the back door (Kriegler & Bender, 2017). In his statement, the driver further indicated that Spector came out with a gun in his hand. According to the affidavits, Spector told the driver that he thought he had just killed her (Gabriel, 2016).
D. Evidence
In addition to the testimony tabled before the court, the body of the victim provided insights that helped build the case against the defendant. Her body was found tumbled in a chair with the legs stretched out. Additionally, the gun was found under her left ankle but Lana was right-handed. This indicated that the gun was planted there and that this was not a suicide case. The fact that the blood on the gun was smeared indicted that the perpetrator tried to clean it purposely to remove his fingerprints. There was also a pad with the victims’ blood in the bathroom.
E. Closing Arguments
The prosecution’s closing argument was more persuasive than the defense’s closing argument. The prosecutor showed the jury the patterns in Spector’s history. He appealed, especially to the female jury, when he said that when there is alcohol, lack of control and a woman, Phil Spector is bound to shoot a gun. He painted a picture of a man, who, in the company of women, spins out of control. By mentioning that Lana deserves and was entitled to justice, he further persuaded the jury to find Spector guilty of murdering Lana.
F. Outside Factors and Concluding Thoughts
The media played a vital role in this case, which televised the proceedings to the public. When such cases are in the public domain, the justice department is forced to endure that the victims get justice. The public pushed the government to take action and defend those that could not defend themselves. On the other hand, the outcomes of the Specter provided an assurance that no one is above the law. In addition, it is important to note that Spector was rightfully convicted of the murder against the arguments that had been prompted to indicate that the jury was persuaded because the victim was female. However, considering the number of women in the 11 people jury, this argument is not justified.
H. Importance of the Case
This case is important to the study of law as it explains what cases are tried under California Murder Code, Penal Code - PEN 187(a). Moreover, through this case, the prosecution was able to prove that Spector killed Lana with malice aforethought. Personally, reading the primary documentation has changed my view of how second-degree murder cases are handled in a court of law. Initially, I viewed the perpetrator as an individual who had lost control, particularly in this trial. Whereas this does not exonerate him, I did not view him as an individual with a history of a lack of self-control. However, after reading the primary document, the perpetrator character paints him as guilty as he was found.
References
Bove, E. J. (2008). Preserving the value of unanimous criminal jury verdicts in anti-deadlock instructions. Georgetown Law Journal, 97 , 251-287.
Comiskey, P. M., Yarin, A. L., Kim, S., & Attinger, D. (2016). Prediction of blood back spatter from a gunshot in bloodstain pattern analysis. Physical Review Fluids , 1 (4), 1-20.
Gabriel, R. (2016). What Television Can Teach Us about Trial Narrative? Jury Expert, 28 , 7.
Irwin, J. (2010). Lifers: Seeking redemption in prison . London: Routledge.
Kriegler, H. S. R., & Bender, L. M. (2017). Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions. Series 100–1800. California: LexisNexis. Retrieved from https://www.justia.com/criminal/docs/calcrim/calcrim-2017-edition.pdf
