Spector Chauffeur Stands by Story, Steps Down

The Adriano De Souza Show has finally run its course.

The driver who allegedly heard Phil Spector say, "I think I killed someone," took the stand for the fourth, and presumably last, day Tuesday, refusing to let the famed music producer's defense team alter his recollection of what happened the night Lana Clarkson died from a gunshot wound to the mouth.

Court opened today with prosecutors playing the remainder of a videotape of a Los Angeles detective interviewing De Souza at the station about five hours after the shooting. While the defense has been arguing that the Brazilian-born witness may have had trouble understanding Spector's English and was confused as to what the murder suspect actually said, prosecutors are looking to prove that De Souza heard Spector correctly and had no trouble communicating with investigators.

There was a point on the tape, however, when De Souza appears flustered and seemingly blames language barrier for his confusion.

First, De Souza told sheriff's homicide Detective Paul Fournier his story about being awakened by a loud noise at about 5 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2003 after which a gun-toting Spector, whose expression gave him a "stupid face," came outside and said, "I think I killed somebody."

When asked on tape why he didn't call police right away (De Souza called Spector's manager first, testifying that he did so to get the correct address of his boss' house), De Souza said, "I don't know, I don't know. I don't know how to talk to the police."

Afterward, Fournier continued to ask De Souza whether he was sure about what he heard, and whether those were Spector's exact words.

"I think so," De Souza answered hesitantly. "I think so. I'm not sure. It's my English."

But when defense attorney Bradley Brunon questioned him again later about whether he may have misheard Spector, De Souza testified that he felt Fournier was having trouble understanding him because of his heavily accented and slightly broken English, and that's why Fournier kept asking him to repeat Spector's alleged confession.

"I told him that because I thought he does not understand what I said," De Souza said.

In court Monday, both sides addressed why De Souza is also quoted in a police transcript as saying that Spector said, "I think I shot someone." While the defense attributed the discrepancy to a hole in De Souza's story, the prosecution pointed out that one of the investigators changed the word "killed" to "shot" in the midst of an interview, and that De Souza started saying "shot" after that.

To hammer his point home, Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson again asked De Souza about the validity of his testimony.

"Did you come here to tell the truth?" Jackson asked.

"Yes," De Souza answered.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes."

"Are you mistaken about what you heard Mr. Spector say?"

"No."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

And then De Souza was free to go, after spending four days on the stand. Not far, however, because his immigration status is still up in the air—a fact that the defense used to suggest De Souza was testifying in exchange for the D.A.'s help with his residency status.

"I'm here because it's the right thing to do," De Souza told Brunon today under cross-examination.

Also testifying Tuesday were Alhambra Police Officer Sean Heckers, who swabbed Spector's hands for gun residue and Alhambra firefighter-paramedic Michael Brown, who examined Spector for injuries after an officer shot him with a taser gun.

While Heckers testified that a small bit of residue was found on Spector, defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden suggested that the residue may have come from the police station where Spector was booked or the squad car where he sat down.

Heckers, who admitted that it was his first time performing such a test in the field, said that guns are not allowed in any Alhambra police station and that the squad cars are routinely cleaned, inside and out.

Brown, who testified that he checked Spector over for bruises and didn't find any, also said that Spector didn't receive any special treatment once he was at the police station. The Wall of Sound creator also didn't appear drunk.

"I did not find obvious signs of alcohol," Brown said.

An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning to further probe the prosecution's claim that the defense tampered with evidence by failing to turn over a piece of acrylic fingernail allegedly picked up by forensics expert Henry Lee at Spector's home.

Lee has adamantly denied the prosecution's claim, testifying last week that he did not find a nail fragment at the site, much less packed one up and handed it over to the defense.