Guns, booze to figure in Spector case

LOS ANGELES, March 17 (UPI) -- Jury selection is set to begin in Los Angeles in the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector, accused of shooting a woman in his home.

The Los Angeles Times said Saturday that the producer's well known propensity for mixing an alcohol-fueled rage with weapons could seriously hurt him and his "not guilty" plea.

Larry Levine, the recording engineer who worked closely with Spector in the studio for years told the Times: "He always had that habit of showing off guns when he was drinking; it's what he did, it was his thing."

After an evening of drinking at Hollywood's hotspots, in the predawn hours of Feb. 3, 2003, Spector ended up at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip where 40-year-old Lana Clarkson was a hostess in the VIP area of the Foundation Room. He apparently talked her into going home with him "for just one drink."

Spector's defense is that Clarkson shot herself in the mouth. A pretrial ruling will allow testimony of prior incidents involving Spector, a woman and a gun, the Times said.