LOS ANGELES — A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors in Phil Spector's trial said they could not reach a unanimous decision as to whether the death of an actress was murder or suicide.
The panel deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of conviction after 12 days of deliberations that jurors described as often heated and ultimately doomed by doubts raised by the defense concerning forensic evidence and the mental history of the dead woman, Lana Clarkson.
"Some thought there was enough background to say yes, possibly she did kill herself," an electrician who voted to convict Spector said at a press conference.
Prosecutors said they will try again to convict Spector of a second-degree murder charge.
After the decision, the district attorney's office indicated it would retry Spector.
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Recently, we found a member of the QHST faculty looking not at all well in the stairwell. Please click on the image to view the crime-scene photos.
A few questions:
- Was the vicitm right-handed or left handed?
- Was there any evidence at the crime scene that was not identified and catalogued at the time?
- Based on our initial investigation of the crime scene, what items would you expect to find in use at the scene of a crime like this?
A History of Violence
In class on Friday morning we read details of an abusive relationship, a brutal double murder and the sad effect of forensic procedural problems. Yes, OJ Simpson is in vogue again this season.
A couple of questions we will be discussing on Friday:- What was the main reason for the jury's verdict, according to the defense team?
- What significant evidence was withheld from the jury?
- What significant evidence came to light after the trial, during civil procedings which led to Simpson being held liable for the deaths of Goldman and Brown?
Extensive links to the case can be found in this forensics blog entry from last year.
Video surveillance and a victim's note lead to the capture of a
Russian Serial Killer intent on breaking the record of serial killer Andrea Chikatilo, the
Rostov Ripper
The
Crime Library is a rapidly growing collection of more than over 600 nonfiction feature stories on major crimes, criminals, trials, forensics and criminal profiling by prominent writers. The stories focus mostly on recent crimes, but an expanding collection also delves into historically notorious characters, dating back to the 1400s and spanning the globe.
