Supreme Court Rejects Phil Spector's Murder Conviction Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Phil Spector's appeal against his 2009 murder conviction.

Spector, a former producer and inventor of the "Wall of Sound," was convicted of killing Lana Clarkson, an actress, three years ago.

He wanted the court to review his sentence because he felt he did not initially get a fair trial, since Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler had offered his opinion on an expert witness' testimony. However, as Rolling Stone reported today, the court has declined to review the conviction and is upholding the original verdict.

Last August, the California Supreme Court told the producer that he couldn't launch another appeal against the conviction. He originally appealed against the decision in 2010, when his lawyers claimed testimonies of five women who said he had threatened them in the past were improperly used during the trial. These claims also were also rejected.

On February 6, Spector settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's mother, Donna Clarkson. Spector had originally tried to mount a defense against the legal action, but he and Clarkson have since signed the settlement.

Spector was sentenced to 19 years in prison after being found guilty of Clarkson's murder in 2009.

Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.