From the Los Angeles Times
Money helped Spector more than celebrity
His fortune gave him access to top attorneys and other resources that 99% of defendants could never afford, legal experts say. By Henry Weinstein Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 27, 2007
In January 1965, the Righteous Brothers song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" hit the airwaves and soon became a No. 1 hit. By the end of the 20th century, the anthemic tune had become the most played song on American radio. It can still be heard almost any day in any part of the country.
Every time the song is played on the radio, producer and co-writer Phil Spector makes money.
Over the last four years, Spector used that bundle of cash, as well as money he made from several other signature songs of the '60s and '70s, to hire seven lawyers, a bevy of forensic experts and several private investigators to mount a defense against a second-degree murder charge.
After a Los Angeles jury told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler that it was hopelessly deadlocked Wednesday, several legal experts said Spector's ability to finance a more elaborate defense than 99% of other murder defendants played a key role in the record producer being able to walk away free, pending a retrial.
"Whether you are buying a car, a boat or a defense, the bigger the budget, the better the ride," said Robert Hirschhorn, a Houston jury consultant who has worked on many high-profile cases.
Several other legal experts agreed that although Spector was not a celebrity of the magnitude of O.J. Simpson or Michael Jackson, his wealth served him well in the trial.
"I don't think" the jurors who held out for acquittal did it "because of some 'we love Phil' sentiment," Loyola law professor Laurie Levenson said.
Rather, she said, she thought Spector's vast resources enabled him to hire a large and sophisticated defense team that was able to persuade two jurors that he had not shot and killed actress Lana Clarkson four years ago.
"It's fair to say the more resources you have, the better the result you are likely to get," Levenson said.
Noting that several jurors initially indicated that they did not know who Spector was, Levenson said his money was more important than his fame.
"Even when Spector was at his peak, he was a behind-the-scenes person," unlike the performers he produced, including the Beatles, Ben E. King, Ike and Tina Turner, the Ronettes, the Crystals and the Ramones, said USC law professor Jean Rosenbluth.
But all the work Spector did for those stars brought him wealth, and in the end "money matters more than celebrity," Rosenbluth said.
[....]