The second season of Dick Wolf’s real-life crime series on Netflix has returned. The first episode of Homicide: Los Angeles delves into chilling 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Where is Phil Spector now, and what happened in the high-profile case that shook Hollywood? Read on to learn more.
Homicide: Los Angeles is Dick Wolf’s anticipated follow-up to Homicide: New York, which premiered on Netflix earlier this year. The new season covers five of the city’s most infamous crimes in history. Homicide LA interviews detective, prosecutors, and the victims’ friends and families to tell their stories.
The premiere episode of Season 2, “Hunting Phil Spector,” follows the case of Phil Spector, a wealthy record producer who was sentenced to murder for killing actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. “There’s something special and different about celebrity cases,” former LA deputy district attorney Alan Jackson says in the Netflix series. “And it’s always been Los Angeles that seems to be the epicenter of those types of cases.”
Who Was Phil Spector?
Harvey Phillip Spector, known as Phil Spector, was a record producer and songwriter who grew up in the Bronx, New York City, and was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He scored his first No. 1 hit, “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” when he was a teenager with his band Teddy Bears. The track sold more than a million records after the group appeared on the TV show “American Bandstand,” according to the New York Times.
After the Teddy Bears broke up in 1959, Spector turned to producing. Between 1960 and 1965, he placed 24 records in the Top 40. Some of his 13 Top 10 singles are from some of the biggest “girl group” tracks in history, including “He’s a Rebel,” “Uptown,” “Then He Kissed Me” and “Da Doo Ron Ron” by the Crystals, and “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain” by the Ronettes.
Throughout his career, Spector worked with iconic acts like The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, The Beatles, John Lennon, Tina Turner, and The Righteous Brothers, ultimately shaping the music industry and the sound of the 1960s and beyond.
As he achieved world fame, his private life grew tumultuous. He left the music business for several years, resulting in a decades-long decline that consisted of “erratic behavior, often involving his extensive handgun collection and heavy drinking,” per the New York Times. An affair with the lead singer of the Ronettes, Veronica Bennett, contributed to the end of his first marriage. He and Bennett also divorced.
What Happened To Lana Clarkson?
Lana Clarkson was an actress and model who was tragically killed on February 3, 2003. The California native got her big break in Hollywood with 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High. She appeared in more than 50 television shows and starred in the film series Barbarian Queen.
At the time of her death, the 40-year-old actress had not worked in Hollywood for a year due to wrist injuries. She was working as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip when Spector arrived. According to Homicide LA, Lana confronted Spector upon his arrival, mistakenly thinking he was a woman, and initially refused him entry.
Lana apologized for the misunderstanding and seated him in a VIP area. In the early morning of February 3, 2003, video camera footage showed Lana helping an intoxicated Spector get into the car. Adriano De Souza, the limo driver, said that Spector kept asking Lana to visit his castle, and she agreed.
De Souza was waiting at the back of the house when he heard a loud popping sound. He testified that he saw Spector, holding a gun, who said to him, “I think I killed somebody.” Fearing for his life, De Souza ran away and eventually called 911 to report what he had witnessed.
According to the episode, when authorities arrived, Spector was not cooperative. Officers found Clarkson slumped over in a chair in the foyer of his 10-bedroom, eight-bathroom home. There was a .38 caliber handgun by her foot, and she had suffered a gunshot wound inside of her mouth.
“This is absolute f*cking nonsense,” Spector is heard saying on a recording that was played in the episode. “I don’t know what that f*cking lady… what her problem is.” He also said that she had “no right” to come to his “castle” and “blow her head open.”
Phil Spector was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He immediately posted a million-dollar bail, according to the Netflix show.
What Happened At Phil Spector’s First Trial?
Spector’s first trial began in April 2007. The record producer and defense team argued that Clarkson was depressed about her failed acting career and committed suicide.
However, coroner Dr. Louis Pena testified in the murder trial that Clarkson’s death was a homicide. Pena said there was no evidence that Clarkson had been putting her affairs in order in advance of a suicide. The coroner said Clarkson had been taking two drugs generally given for depression, but her neurologist had prescribed them for her chronic headaches, the Times Herald-Record reported at the time.
Numerous women also came forward and testified about violent encounters with Spector, which included him threatening them with a gun when they refused his advances.
The judge declared a mistrial in Spector’s murder trial after the jury was deadlocked 10-2 (leaning toward conviction) and could not reach a verdict. According to People, the jurors told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler they were split.
What Happened At Phil Spector’s Retrial?
Less than one year after his first trial, Spector’s retrial commenced, and the jury found Spector guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Lana Clarkson. In 2009, the record producer was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
Where Is Phil Spector Now?
Phil Spector died in prison on January 16, 2021, at the age of 81. While California state prison officials initially said he died of natural causes, his daughter later revealed that he passed due to complications from COVID-19.
Nicole Audrey Spector told the New York Times that she visited her father the day before his death at San Joaquin General Hospital. He was not conscious and “appeared to be suffering,” she said in January 2021. “He was not alone. He died with love and dignity.”
At the time of his death, Spector was serving his sentence at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, but was transferred to the California State Prison in Corcoran in 2014 because of his poor heath. He would have been eligible for parole in 2024.
Watch the official trailer for Homicide Los Angeles on Netflix.
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