Spector gets 19 to life in actress slay

LOS ANGELES, May 29 (UPI) -- Famed music producer Phil Spector, who was convicted last month of killing actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison.

Spector, 69, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Clarkson at his Los Angeles area home. His lawyers, who argued the woman's death was a suicide, have vowed to appeal the conviction.

"All our plans together are destroyed. Now I can only visit her in the cemetery," the Los Angeles Times quoted Lana's mother Donna as saying before Friday's sentencing.

The Times Thursday said the guilty verdict carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison, and it was up to the judge sentencing Spector to decide how many more years to add to the minimum sentence for the use of a firearm.

The newspaper said prosecutors asked that four more years be added, while Spector's legal team pushed for three.

Friday's sentencing means Spector will first be eligible for parole at age 88.