Jury Prescreening Under Way In Phil Spector Trial
The jury selection process is under way for Phil Spector's retrial. Britain's "Telegraph" says last week prescreening began with several hundred possible jurors filling out questionnaires. The forms will help prosecutors and defense attorneys pick the 12-member panel who will eventually hear the case. Lawyers are scheduled to begin questioning the potential jurors on October 14th. One consideration for jury members will be the length of the trial. While experts note this time around the proceedings could go faster, the trial could still last a few months. Spector's first trial went on for five months, with jury deliberations taking nearly three weeks. That case ended in a mistrial, with the jury split ten-to-two in favor of conviction. Spector is facing a murder charge in connection with the death of actress Lana Clarkson, who died of a gunshot wound to the mouth in the foyer of his Los Angeles mansion in February 2003. While the legendary producer has been accused in the shooting, he claims Clarkson took her own life. |