Spector Murder Retrial Gets Under Way

Prosecutor says Spector repeatedly threatened women with guns

Opening statements got under way in the murder retrial of Phil Spector in Los Angeles yesterday.

Prosecutor Alan Jackson claimed the legendary producer, famed for his influential wall of sound technique, shot actress Lana Clarkson after she rejected his sexual advances at his LA mansion in 2003.

Jackson showed photos of Clarkson to the jury and referred to the testimony of Spector’s chauffeur in the first trial, in which the driver claimed Spector said to him on the night of Clarkson’s death, "I think I killed somebody".

Jackson gave several examples of women who claimed Spector had threatened them with guns over the years, reports the Associated Press.

The original proceedings rumbled on for five months last year and resulted in a deadlocked jury 10-2 in favour of convicting Spector, with the judge declaring a mistrial.

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