Phil Spector, Vikram Jayanti & the Truth

In March 2007, and throughout the murder trial, Vikram Jayanti spent a considerable amount of time with Phil Spector, interviewing him for a film project. I'm sure once Spector was charged with murder, there were quite a few people nipping at his heels, wanting an exclusive interview. Even Scott Raab of Esquire Magazine, said, "I've been dogging Spector for years, hoping to write his story." Raab finally did get a day or two with him back April, 2003, before Spector was formally charged. donchais and I can see why Spector would be flattered and willing to talk to Jayanti, since he came to the table with an international reputation as an award winning documentary filmmaker. It's our opinion that Jayanti probably promised Spector that he would get his story out there and that's exactly what he did. The information was published in the September 9th, 2007 issue of the UK's Sunday Daily Mail, magazine section, Live.

donchais and I thought we would take Spector and Jayanti's statements from this article, present them to our readers with facts and other sources in order to give a more balanced perspective.

Here are the first statements by Spector that appear in the article:
I just don't like the idea that anyone thinks that I'm not taking this seriously. Because the judge, every time I go to court, doesn't like me. He's already said that if I made a plea bargain, he'd give me eight years. Because someone died. And he keeps saying that every time I go to court. To the jurors, the first thing out of his mouth, "Remember today we're here because someone died."

Even though I was eight feet away from her when she died, and it can be proved forensically I didn't kill her, it doesn't matter. Somebody died, somebody killed her. That's his frame of reference. That's what he thinks.

I just hope we have a bunch of jurors that listen to the evidence. We haven't told our story in four years. We have a very interesting, abrupt, good, honest, accurate, truthful story to tell that proves beyond any question, any reasonable possibility of a doubt, that it is impossible for me to have been near the deceased when she died.

Yep. Those are direct quotes. Now let's break it down.

He's already said that if I made a plea bargain, he'd give me eight years.

No, never happened. None was offered and judges don't make plea deals. This is typical SSS, (aka Spector Spin Speak) which means, No one understands my genius. I'm being persecuted. Can Spector point to where in the record Fidler offered him this deal? Maybe Spector is confusing this with his first attorney, Robert Shaprio and his early defense strategy.

Because someone died. And he keeps saying that every time I go to court.

I attended about 90 percent of this trial. Although I did not attend the first day of trial, I was there most days. I did not hear the judge repeat this statement every time Spector came to court.

Even though I was eight feet away from her when she died, and it can be proved forensically I didn't kill her, it doesn't matter. Somebody died, somebody killed her. That's his frame of reference. That's what he thinks.

No, it wasn't proven forensically that he didn't kill her; it was a suggested scenario, the same one the defense presented at trial. There wasn't a single expert on the stand, defense or prosecution who testified that Spector was eight feet away. Spector is forgetting that Dr. Henry Lee didn't take the witness stand. He was conveniently out of the country during the presentation of the defense case. However, James Pex, one of Spector's stand-in blood spatter experts agreed with the prosecution's theory that Spector's "white ladies jacket" had to be within 3-4 feet of Lana when she was killed.

We have a very interesting, abrupt, good, honest, accurate, truthful story to tell that proves beyond any question, any reasonable possibility of a doubt, that it is impossible for me to have been near the deceased when she died.

No, not beyond any question or reasonable possibility of doubt. It's called blood back spatter and it follows the laws of physics. Forensic scientist Dr. Lynne Herold determined the mist-like spray of blood found on Spector's white jacket put Spector within two to three feet of the discharging weapon. Because the droplets found on the jacket were so microscopic, they did not have the mass to travel eight feet.

Spector's experts varied in their view as to "how" that back spatter could have gotten on Lana's jacket, and to when it actually occurred. Each expert presented a different scenario.

Jayanti states in the article that:
Throughout, the prosecution's case has been simple. In their view, Phil Spector, the renowned record producer and reclusive eccentric genius, has a long history of terrorising women at gunpoint.

Five prior bad act (PBA) witnesses, Deborah Strand, Dorothy Melvin, Stephanie Jennings, Diane Ogden, and Devra Robitaille, testified on the stand. Walter Cronkite's daughter was also terrorized at gunpoint. And, Spector didn't limit his power trip with guns to just women. The stories about Spector pulling a gun on John Lennon and Leonard Cohen have been in the press for years. How many other incidents don't we know about? We may not know all their names, but we do know that the prosecution presented at least 14-15 PBA witnesses for trial. This means, that there were "that many people" who had an altercation with Spector where he brandished a gun in their presence or threatened them with a gun in some way.

Readers, give us your opinions! We will continue to deconstruct the myth, but you get the picture! This is just the first installment.

(This entry was written by donchais and Sprocket.)