Spector defense may rest today; he will not take stand

In a surprise announcement, defense attorneys for Phil Spector said Tuesday that they might rest their case today. The record producer will not be called to testify.

The prosecution, in turn, said it planned to present rebuttal witnesses for two or three days. As a result, testimony could end by Aug. 9, the date set for a jury tour of Spector’s Alhambra mansion, the scene of Lana Clarkson’s Feb. 3, 2003, shooting death.

“We will rest tomorrow, sort of,” said Christopher J. Plourd, one of six lawyers who since early April have sought to persuade jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court that Spector did not kill Clarkson.

Spector is accused of shooting Clarkson after meeting her at the House of Blues, where she worked as a hostess while struggling to maintain a career as an actress.

The defense contends that Clarkson killed herself.

Plourd said the defense would call four witnesses today. Two eminent criminalists who had been listed as witnesses will not appear, he indicated.

Defense lawyer Bradley Brunon asked Judge Larry Paul Fidler to allow jurors to be read transcripts of testimony from Henry Lee. The criminalist had been scheduled to testify in Spector’s defense until he was accused of mishandling evidence from the crime scene.

Brunon argued that Lee was legally unavailable because he was traveling in China and wouldn’t return before next week.

“I don’t think you’ve shown me that Dr. Lee is unavailable,” Fidler said. “You knew he was leaving the country. Any time you wanted, you could have issued a subpoena. A trial takes precedence over a trip.”

Fidler said Brunon could still decide to call Lee by the end of next week.

The trial opened in April, and the defense, as late as Monday night, had been expected to present its case through Aug. 9.

Spector appeared in court Tuesday sporting a new hairstyle -- darker, fuller, reaching his collar in back and covering his ears. His wife, Rachelle, a constant presence during the trial, also had her hair newly tinted brown.

In a rare statement directly to the defendant, Fidler asked Spector if he wanted lawyer Bruce Cutler to take part in closing arguments. Fidler pointed out that Cutler, nominally the defense’s lead attorney, had missed several weeks of the trial while working on a television project.

“I’ll discuss that,” Spector said.

Clarkson’s salary at the House of Blues was among a series of minor disclosures.

Earlier defense testimony had suggested that Clarkson was depressed by having to take the club job because her acting career was stagnant. Richard Munisteri, a lawyer for the parent company of the House of Blues, testified that the club paid Clarkson $9 an hour.

Los Angeles County criminalist Stephen Dowell told jurors that a vial containing “a white fragment of material” had arrived broken at his office. No explanation for the damage was given.

Lee had been accused of removing a white fragment from the crime scene without notifying the prosecution. He denied the allegation.

john.spano@latimes.com