Spector Free as Jury Fails to Reach Verdict

Sept. 27, 2007 — -- Legendary music producer Phil Spector walked out of a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday after a judge declared a mistrial in his murder trial in the death of actress Lana Clarkson

"There is deep regret that we were unable to reach a unanimous verdict," a juror said.

After 12 days of deliberations, two of the jurors could not be persuaded. The jury met for about 44 hours, according to The Associated Press.

"We will seek the court's permission to retry the case and begin immediately to prepare for a retrial," District Attorney Steve Cooley said in a statement, according to the AP.

An Oct. 3 hearing is set to decide whether Spector should be retried for the 2003 murder of Clarkson.

Clarkson died the same night she met Spector at her job as a nightclub hostess. The 40-year-old went home with Spector and died in his mansion's foyer. A gunshot wound to the mouth killed her. The gun belonged to Spector.

A 911 phone call by Spector's then-driver Adriano De Souza recorded the panic.

De Souza: "I think my boss just killed somebody."

911 Operator: He killed somebody?

Da Souza: Yes, sir.

The gun that killed Clarkson had no fingerprints on it and afterward, Spector, whose producing credits are a who's who of rock 'n' roll history, was charged with the murder.