Jury Duty, Phil Spector, And Other News

UPDATE!

Hello everyone. I have to report to the Metropolitan Courthouse tomorrow at 8:30 am for jury duty. I hate getting up this early. I know I've promised y'all some updates on Spector but real life has been taking over at the Sprocket household and I haven't even caught up on my E-mail yet. When it rains, it pours around here. Mr. Sprocket did buy that old truck, but it is currently taking up residence in our driveway, up on jacks while he waits for parts so he can rebuild the 14 bolt "famous" GM rear end. Mr. Sprocket says, "It's a legend." You can see for yourself how big his newly acquired truck is.


Mr. Sprocket is very excited about this truck and can't wait to fill it up with tools and lots of "stuff," once he gets it back on six wheels of course.

The day before our washing machine was to be delivered, I was peeling up the old square linoleum tiles to replace them with new when part of the under flooring came up with the faded tiles. We then discovered that sometime in the past (before I moved into this old house over 12 years ago), someone had installed particle board over the plywood flooring. This plywood was damp and crumbling apart in a three by five foot section under our washer and dryer. There must have been washer leaks in the past and this wood was never able to dry out. The sub planks and joists are dry, but Mr. Sprocket is in the process of replacing the flooring as I type this. It's a bit complicated because the water and gas lines are coming up through the floor right there. In the mean time, we temporarily set up the washer and dryer outside, with the water hoses and electricity going outside through the dryer vent hole. I'm just grateful I have a washer again. This floor project (and the truck) will take some time since Mr. Sprocket doesn't really have full use or strength back in his right arm yet.

I did call the twin towers jail over a week ago and found out that Spector did have his two visitors for that week. I'm still trying to find out who has visited him but that information may be exempt from the FOI Act. It's estimated that Spector's private "room" is about the size of a walk in closet. That's probably a difficult adjustment for a man who used to live in an eight thousand square foot house on three acres.

When I read an article by Cindy Adams in Page Six that Spector had spoken to Linda Kenny Baden and asked her to join his team to work on an appeal, I wondered if Spector had a phone in his cell; an old article on the medical ward at Twin Towers indicated there were phones in the rooms. According to the operator I spoke to last week, Spector doesn't have his own phone. To make a phone call, Spector has to make a request of the Sheriff's. He then is taken to an area where he can make a phone call.

Another thing that people have asked me about and that's Spector's "weave." We know it isn't on his head, but where is it exactly? Does anyone know if inmates work the property room at the jail? Just wondering.

Some of you have asked what the DA's role will be at Spector's sentencing. I got the facts on that issue from a former LA County prosecutor.

"At the time of the conviction, the judge refers the case to the probation department to prepare a probation report--even in a murder case where the sentence is already mandated by law. In the Spector case, I would think that relatives of the victim, if they desire, would make a statement to the court--and sometimes directly to the defendant. In a murder case the role of the Deputy DA at P & S (probation and sentence) is very limited. That is because in a first degree murder case (without a special circumstance allegation) the sentence is 25 to life and in a second degree murder case the sentence is 15 to life plus enhancements (gun use, prior convictions, etc). If there are other counts the DA might argue for consecutive sentences. But, in reality, in a one count murder case with a gun use allegation, there is little for the DA to do."

Thank you so much, W., for taking the time to answer this question!

Many of you have asked where might Spector be placed, once he's been sentenced. T&T's own CaliGirl9 weighs in on this issue.

"Where will he go? To summarize: he'd first be taken to the county jail, and then likely within 30 days, be transferred to a SoCal intake center (Chino is one). After an evaluation as to which facility would be best, Harv would then be transferred to another facility. I'm still going with my guesses of Vacaville (California Medical Facility), Pleasant Valley (where he might catch valley Fever, a common occurrence) or Soledad, in that order. Corcoran is too tough a place for him, even with the protective housing unit. So it's unlikely he'll be producing music with Charlie Manson. Unless Harv is being treated for drug abuse, in which case he'd end up in Corcoran's drug treatment facility. But I still think CMF's the place. Edmund Kemper is there."

Thank you very much CaliGirl9!

There are a few trials that I've got my eye on. I've been told that jury selection in the Cameron Brown retrial is set for 8:30 am on Wednesday, July 8th. I'd like to see this trial but that 8:30 am start time will be tough. KFI's Steve Gregory reports there is a possibility of moving the Sandra Cantu case to Los Angeles County. If that happens, it will be interesting to see if the current judge will stay on the case and also if there is a ruling to let cameras in the courtroom. We will just have to wait and see what happens. I plan on covering the Clarkson civil case but that won't get off the ground until sometime next year. There is a "penis identification" cold case that I was thinking of covering that might start sometime in May. That all depends on what happens tomorrow and if I get on a jury or not.

Another thing that will depend on what happens tomorrow is my scheduled trip to tour the L.A. County Sheriff's Crime Lab. Back in January, I was extended an invitation by Dr. Lynne Herold to take a tour when the Spector trial reached a verdict. Hopefully, I'll get through jury service tomorrow without being placed on a trial so Mr. Sprocket and I can visit the Crime Lab on Thursday. If I do get on a trial that will have to be rescheduled. I'll give you an update at the end of the day, tomorrow.

I almost forgot! Dominick Dunne went to the Dominican Republic over the weekend to receive more stem cell treatments for his bladder cancer. I believe he's back in New York now. I know he would really appreciate it if you left him some well wishes at Dominick's Diary. He reads there daily and could use some cheering up.

Update: April 28th, 2009, 7:00 PM
I am in the beginning stages of voir dire on a case that might last around seven days. The Judge indicated that they hope to seat a jury by tomorrow. I will know tomorrow if I'm selected or excused from service. Once my involvement in this case is completed, I will post my jury service experiences.