So, let the trial begin. Again. The jury has been selected for the second murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector. As previously reported, jury selection began on Monday, and yesterday a final line up acceptable to both sides in the trial was agreed including seven men and five women. A shortlist of six alternate jurors were also being selected in case one of the main jury members had to drop out.
The trial is now expected to kick off next Wednesday, and could run into the New Year. As much previously reported, Spector is accused of shooting dead former actress Lana Clarkson at his Beverly Hills home in 2003 - he claims she shot herself.
In the original trial last year both prosecution and defence concentrated on a mixture of character assassination and crime scene forensics, the former describing Spector has a split-personality loon prone to violent outbursts against women, the latter claiming Clarkson was depressed and on the verge of suicide prior to her death. Both also wheeled out forensic experts who claimed blood spatters and fingerprints proved Spector both could or couldn't have been holding the gun that killed Clarkson.
After a long running side show to the main trial around allegations that Spector's original defence team had taken some crucial evidence away from the crime scene, the jury at the original trial couldn't reach a unanimous conclusion as to Spector's innocence or guilt, leading to a mistrial to be called, and the whole thing to be retried from next week.