Once again, a lot of the action at the ongoing Phil Spector trial yesterday took place away from the jury.
First, the previously reported Hollywood madam and potential defence witness Jody 'Babydol' Gibson was in attendance, even though Judge Larry Fidler has said she is not allowed to testify about her allegations that Lana Clarkson, the woman Spector is accused of killing, once worked for her as a prostitute. Fidler wanted Gibson to come to court so he could formally tell her that, while she is unlikely to be called to testify, she still can't talk to the media about her Clarkson allegations until the trial is over. Through her attorney, Gibson said that she needed to talk to the media in order to promote her book 'Secrets Of A Hollywood Super Madam'. To which Fidler clarified: "You may promote your book, but you may not mention Lana Clarkson in any shape, fashion or form. I am ordering you not do that". Gibson, who has allegedly been quite of source of Clarkson tidbits since the trial began, said she would respect the court's order. She also denied allegations made by the prosecution that she had doctored her 'trick book' to insert Clarkson's name in order to get publicity out of the Spector trial, saying: "the allegations are really insulting".
Elsewhere in the courthouse, the prosecution produced a three inch thick document full of reasons why Fidler should refuse permission for another proposed defence witness to testify. As previously reported, the defence want to call one Raul Julia Levy, a former boyfriend of Clarkson's, to the stand. He is expected to confirm the former actress' depression and drug dependency in the months before her death - all part of the defence's attempts to show that the deceased was suicidal at the time of her death. The prosecution claim Julia Levy, apparently the son of late actor Raul Julia (I say 'apparently', because Julia's widow reportedly claims the potential witness is an imposter), is an unreliable witness, that he has a "long and varied history of run-ins with law enforcement", and that he has a history of making false statements to the police. Fidler is undecided on whether to let Levy testify, and will now have to plough his way through the aforementioned three inches of evidence before making a decision.
Back into the actual courtroom, and much of the discussion yesterday was on blood spatter, so perhaps it's just as well the bulk of our report centres on events outside the court room - I'm rather squeamish, remember. The discussion returned to just how far blood would spatter when the bullet went through Lana Clarkson's head, and whether the fact that Spector's jacket had blood on it meant he was right next to the actress as the gun went off (ie close enough to be holding the gun). Blood spatter experts for the prosecution earlier claimed the blood spatter on Spector's clothes meant he was within three feet of Clarkson. But the defence's blood spatter expert of choice, James Pex, said otherwise. Well, he said that the distance the blood spatter would go would depend on the circumstances. He admitted under cross examination that the evidence was consistent with the suggestion the blood would only have spattered three feet, but he said you couldn't be 100% sure that was the case, adding that he thought the police's forensics experts had not inspected the crime scene correctly after the shooting, making it hard to say what blood get where, how and when.
That, I think, is enough blood for now. The trial resumes on Monday. Spector, of course, is accused of shooting dead Lana Clarkson at his Beverley Hills home in 2003. He says she committed suicide.