A jury of nine men and three women have been selected in the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector, but a required panel of six alternates is still to be decided. The 12 jurors were sworn in yesterday at LA Superior Court, and judge Larry Paul Fidler ordered that proceedings commence Monday.
The jurors were selected from over 100 candidates, many of whom were dismissed because they expressed bias over whether Spector is guilty or not. One candidate was excused because she admitted she believed Spector guilty and did not think her opinion would change. "I understand the rules, I just don't think I can," she told the judge.
The final twelve consist of several county employees, one network TV producer and two engineers. All completed questionnaires before they were selected and were found to be satisfactorily neutral in their opinions on the trial.
Lana Clarkson, a 40-year-old actress, was found dead by a single guns shot wound at Spector's LA mansion in February 2003. The prosecution allege the music producer shot Clarkson when she tried to leave his house. Spector denies murder and claims the wounds were self-inflicted. The trial is expected to last for two to three months.
