It’s been over a month since a jury found legendary record producer Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder for shooting actress Lana Clarkson. Now comes the next act in the drama – how long should he spend in prison?
The mandatory sentence for the crime is 15 years to life, which means the 69-year-old Spector would be at least 84 when released.
However, Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson thinks the mandatory punishment isn’t enough, and yesterday filed a motion asking the judge to boost Spector’s yet-undecided sentence to 19 years.
The D.A. is asking for the additional four years because Spector used a gun to kill Clarkson. Sure, that’s stating the obvious, but the law is the law. Besides, Jackson only asked the judge for four years. He could have asked the judge to add 10 years to Spector’s sentence.
In the motion filed yesterday, Jackson also mentioned a few details about the shooting that were not proven by direct evidence during the trial.
“Spector had pulled a loaded gun from the bureau drawer and threatened Lana with it as she attempted to leave the residence,” Jackson said. “As Lana was seated in a chair by the back door with her purse slung on her right shoulder Spector produced the gun, the end result of which was Lana being shot through the mouth as she recoiled in fear.”
For Spector, it probably seems as if there’s no way up but down. In addition to his murder conviction and possibly spending 19 or more years in prison, Spector is also facing a civil suit for unspecified damages filed against him by Clarkson’s family.
Plus the D.A. is asking that Spector be ordered to pay at least $26,500 in restitution to the Clarkson family for funeral and mental health expenses. Clearly, this is not the best of times for the record producer.
But back to the sentencing. If you were the judge, how long a sentence would you hand down to Phil Spector? Think it over and then click on one of the options below.