Victim’s mother tells of last day

Lana Clarkson’s mother rose from the spectator seat she has occupied nearly every day of the Phil Spector murder trial and took the witness stand Monday to answer questions that could help a jury decide who is responsible for her daughter’s death.

Spector, 67, the legendary producer of records for the Beatles, Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner and many other pop music giants, is charged with murdering Lana Clarkson, 40, in his Alhambra mansion Feb. 3, 2003. Spector met the actress earlier that night at the House of Blues, where she worked as a hostess in the club’s VIP room.

Donna Clarkson testified that she had been shopping for shoes with Lana at Ross Dress for Less on the afternoon before her daughter was found dead, shot in the mouth. Clarkson said Lana needed flat shoes for the many hours of standing on the job.

The defense contends that Clarkson, despondent over a failed acting career limited to bit parts and B-movie roles, and forced to take what she considered a demeaning job, shot herself in Spector’s home.

But prosecutor Alan Jackson, in cross-examination, tried to show that Clarkson was committed to her job and looking to the future.

Jackson asked how many pairs of shoes her daughter purchased. Clarkson said Lana had planned to get one pair, but ended up with seven. Clarkson smiled as she recalled the shopping trip, saying that Lana went straight to work from the shoe store.

The defense had called Clarkson for a different purpose: to testify about letters she found in her daughter’s home and turned over to prosecutors. The letters appeared to be references from prominent entertainment executives, but prosecutors and the defense agree that they were forged.

The defense said the letters were part of an effort by Clarkson to get a loan from Hugo Quackenbush, a friend and founder of the Charles Schwab Corp. investment brokerage, and could show “the desperation she was feeling,” Spector attorney Bradley Brunon said. Quackenbush died in March.

The defense has argued that with her acting career stalled for nine months because of a serious accident, Clarkson’s financial situation was bleak.

Jackson argued that the letters were not relevant because they at best would provide “a look at what kind of person she is, not who pulled the trigger.”

But Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler allowed the letters to be admitted, saying that they could show her state of mind, and the jury could decide their importance.

Marc Hirschfeld, a casting executive for NBC, also testified Monday, saying that he did not write one of the letters, which bears his signature. Hirschfeld recalled having a favorable opinion of Clarkson and said he had corresponded with her. But basic details in the letter were wrong, such as his job title and the titles of shows he had cast.

The defense will continue its case today with testimony from Dr. Michael Baden, a prominent forensic pathologist. Spector attorney Christopher Plourd spent nearly an hour and a half questioning Baden about his decades of experience, and had not finished when court adjourned for the day.

Baden, who has had his own HBO television series and is married to Spector attorney Linda Kenney Baden, is a bit of a celebrity in his own right. During a break, Spector and his wife, Rachelle, posed for photographs with Baden outside the courtroom.

peter.hong@latimes.com