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Team Spector Wants Testimony Sealed
Call it Phil Spector's wall of secrecy.
Lawyers for the reclusive rock pioneer want to put a lid on the grand jury testimony that led to Spector's indictment on a murder charge stemming from the 2003 shooting death of a woman at his home.
Defense attorney Roger Rosen filed a motion with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley, arguing that unsealing such transcripts could taint potential jurors against the legendary music producer.
"It's a lose situation for the court, and it's a lose situation for Mr. Spector," Rosen told the judge, adding that unsealing five days worth of grand jury testimony could result in a "contamination" of the jury pool and lead to a "lengthy" and "costly" selection process.
Prosecutors opposed the motion, but on Tuesday, Wesley sided with Team Spector and refused--at least temporarily--to release the testimony.
"Once these transcripts are unsealed, it's done," the judge said, suggesting that the release could hurt Spector's chances at getting a fair trial.
Wesley said that it will be up to the judge that oversees the trial to decide whether to eventually unseal the testimony.
The ruling didn't go over well with the district attorney's office, which asserted such secrecy isn't warranted in this case.
"We think they should be unsealed," Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney, told E! Online.
Calls to Rosen were not returned.
A separate challenge to Rosen's motion was mounted by Susan Seager, an attorney representing the Los Angeles Times. She says the public clearly has a right to know what was in that testimony and says she planned to petition for the transcripts to be unsealed before the next court date, Nov. 10 before Judge Larry Fidler.
Spector, 64, was charged with killing B-movie star Lana Clarkson last November--eight months after police found the erstwhile Barbarian Queen's body splayed across the floor of Spector's suburban Los Angeles mansion. The "Wall of Sound" record producer subsequently pleaded not guilty and remains free on $1 million bail.
Spector had hoped to assert his innocence during a preliminary hearing, but prosecutors--tired of waiting on Spector to settle on a legal team--avoided that step and got the grand jury indictment, which means the case will go straight to trial.
The move prompted the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to call the prosecution "despicable," claiming they "conspired to deny me my California constitutional right to a preliminary hearing." He also called on "fellow artist" Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to end "this miscarriage of justice" by granting Spector his hearing.
So far, the Gubernator has remained above the fray, and Wesley has set Dec. 16 as the earliest start date for a trial.
If convicted of the murder charge, Spector faces a possible life sentence with the possibility of parole.
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