Jury in Spector Case Deadlocks

Judge may send panel back to rule on manslaughter
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2007 5:03 PM CDT
Jury in Spector Case Deadlocks
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Larry Paul Fidler. left, listens to prosecuting attorney Pat Dixon, right, after he read instructions to the jury in the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector on Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, in Los Angeles. Spector, 67, is accused of fatally shooting 40-year-old Lana...   (Associated Press)

The jury in the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector declared itself deadlocked this afternoon after 7 days of deliberation. The jurors said they're split 7-5, but not which verdict they favor. The judge said he may send the panel back to the drawing board to rule on the lesser charge of manslaughter, Court TV reports.

The judge denied a defense request for a mistrial before sending the jurors home. The nine women and three men heard 5 months of testimony before failing to reach a unanimous verdict. Said the foreman, "At this time we don't believe that anything else will change the positions of the jurors based on the facts of the case," AFP reported. (More Phil Spector stories.)

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