Spector’s wife is scolded by judge

The murder case of pop music legend Phil Spector went to the jury Monday, but not without some final fireworks from the music producer’s camp.

Before jurors were instructed on how to determine whether Spector is guilty of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, Spector’s wife snapped at Judge Larry Paul Fidler after he ordered her to stop speaking to the media.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge also addressed a news report printed Sunday in which Spector reportedly said Fidler did not like him. Spector’s attorneys denied that he had made the remarks.

Rachelle Spector, 27, had defended her 67-year-old husband last week on Court TV, prompting Fidler to warn lawyers to keep the parties out of the media so they do not improperly influence jurors. On Sunday, she sent an e-mail saying she had posted the video interview on her personal website.

That prompted a direct warning from Fidler. “Mrs. Spector, I want you to hear every comment I am about to make,” he declared in the courtroom without jurors present.

“Ma’am, I am going to do something I have never done before,” Fidler said, then warned her: “You will not talk to the press. If you do, you will be in violation of my order.”

Rather than listening deferentially as is expected in court, Rachelle Spector immediately shot back: “But I’m not a witness,” then added, “Is it OK for Louis [Spector’s son] and all the other bad people to say stuff?”

Christopher J. Plourd, one of Spector’s attorneys, immediately stood up from the lawyer’s bar and began walking toward the gallery, his arms extended in a gesture urging her to stop.

Before Plourd reached Rachelle Spector, Fidler replied, “If you violate my order, be prepared for the consequences.”

Spector has been on trial since April in the death of Lana Clarkson, 40, on Feb. 3, 2003.

Clarkson, an actress who appeared in television commercials and played the title role in the cult film “Barbarian Queen,” was found dead in Spector’s Alhambra home, shot through the mouth. Spector produced hit songs for the Beatles, Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner and other pop icons.

Spector’s lawyers contend that Clarkson shot herself in despair over her failed acting career and other troubles.

Spector has maintained his innocence in the years since his arrest, occasionally in public rants about the charges against him. A videotape shot sometime after Clarkson’s death and broadcast this year, for instance, showed him angrily attacking women who testified that he had threatened them with guns in the years before the actress’ shooting.

On Sunday, another diatribe attributed to Spector appeared in a British newspaper, the Mail. It quoted Spector as saying he was standing eight feet from Clarkson when she shot herself. It also quoted him as saying, “I’m in the hands of 12 people who voted for George Bush.”

Spector attorney Linda Kenney Baden said in court that he never made such statements “about this jury,” and asked the judge for permission to speak to the media to refute the alleged remarks.

Vikram Jayanti, author of the article, told the Associated Press that Spector had spoken before the trial, and his quotes did not refer to the present jurors.

Kenney Baden said the defense feared that jurors might be prejudiced against Spector if they saw the reports. Spector “does trust the jury,” she said.

Fidler said he would ask jurors if they had seen the reports, but said he would not make a finding that Spector did not give the interview.

Rachelle Spector later sent a handwritten note of apology to the judge, which he accepted, saying the trial has been stressful for all.

Despite the early morning fireworks, Spector smiled during a break in court as he spoke with his daughter, Nicole. He left the courtroom with his wife and bodyguards shortly after jurors began deliberating, just before noon.

The 12 jurors deliberated for four hours without reaching a verdict. In the afternoon, they asked to see the .38-caliber revolver that killed Clarkson. The request for the gun was signed by the presumptive foreman, a civil engineer from Alhambra who said during selection that he was not familiar with Spector’s illustrious career but had seen him shopping at the local Target store.

If convicted of second-degree murder, Spector could face 15 years to life in prison.

Deliberations resume today.

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peter.hong@latimes.com