LOS ANGELES — Phil Spector's defense team suggested Thursday that the actress shot to death in his mansion may have killed herself because she was deeply depressed and suffered from vivid hallucinations about another Hollywood tragedy.

In a hearing outside the presence of the jury, a lawyer for Spector said personal writings Lana Clarkson left behind told of visions she had of a dead actress, a woman who committed suicide because she "couldn't make it in Hollywood."

"This actress killed herself with a gun," defense attorney Christopher Plourd said.

He did not name the actress but said defense investigators had determined that she was a real person and had lived near the residence where Clarkson lived when she claimed to have the visions.

Spector says Clarkson, 40, killed herself in the foyer of his estate, perhaps over career difficulties. He is charged with murder and faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

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The issue of Clarkson's mental health came to the forefront of Spector's trial as the defense continued its cross-examination of Dr. Louis Pena, the medical examiner who ruled her death a homicide.

Pena said his determination was based on a number of factors, including evidence that Clarkson was a "happy" person with a hopeful attitude who was unlikely to kill herself.

In his second full day of cross-examination, Plourd peppered the pathologist with questions about aspects of Clarkson's background and mental state he considered and whether other evidence developed by the defense could have changed his view.

Among the things he confronted Pena with was an e-mail written two months before Clarkson's death in which she asked a friend for a $200 loan and expressed concern about her future.

"I am truly at the end of this whole deal. I am going to tidy my affairs and chuck it, cuz it's all really too much for just a girl to bear anymore. Don't worry not before I pay you back," she wrote.

Pena said he had learned of the e-mail from the defense after he ruled Clarkson's death a homicide, but said it did not change his view.

"It basically made no difference," Plourd asked.

"That's correct," he replied.

He was also asked about a Web page "bookmarked" on Clarkson's computer for union-sponsored screening for alcohol dependency and depression held eight months before her death.

"I would have looked into that," Pena said. "It was not provided to me."

The defense is expected to ask Pena more questions about material found on Clarkson's personal computer Monday when he resumes the stand.

In the hearing Thursday, Plourd said he plans to bring up other e-mails and an unfinished autobiography on her hard drive entitled "Story of My Life."

He said the personal history and the e-mails detailed a woman struggling to stay sane in the face of mounting financial and career woes. He said she wrote to friends in the months before she died about "trashing" her beloved cottage while "in a depression." (VIDEO)

He said she referenced visiting a new-age healer to "rearrange her subconscious," a process that involved staring into a candle.

"It is something to make you feel better about your life," he said, adding that she reported seeing a vision of a cowboy and George Bush.

"These are delusional-type visions," he said.

According to Plourd, the autobiography details drug and alcohol abuse earlier in her life, including drinking 17 shots of tequila on her 17th birthday.

An empty bottle of tequila was found at the death scene.

Prosecutors objected to use of the autobiography, saying Clarkson was known to be "dramatic" and may have exaggerated or made up parts. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler said he was leaning toward allowing questions about the autobiography, but would postpone a ruling on the autobiography until he had time to read it.

"There goes the weekend," the judge quipped.

In his testimony, Pena continued to insist that homicide was the proper ruling. He said there was no evidence Clarkson was ever suicidal and said the fact she did not miss work and continued to socialize with friends all but ruled out major depression. He said he found only one visit by Clarkson to a therapist, a 1994 session in which she complained about frequent crying jags and a lack of a father figure in her life.

Pena noted that her insurance allowed her to return five more times, but she did not take advantage of those sessions. She left with a diagnosis of "adjustment disorder with anxiety."

"Very basically, what that means is someone is nervous and jittery," said Pena, adding that the visit to the counselor "doesn't change my opinion."

Pena has been on the witness stand since Tuesday, and the judge warned Plourd as court began Thursday that jurors appeared bored. He said some had complained to a court clerk, asking for more frequent breaks.

"They are getting tired of this examination," he said, urging the lawyer to "punch it up a bit."

Plourd plowed ahead, but Pena did not try to camouflage his own exhaustion on the stand. Asked by the defense attorney if suicides occurred more frequently in certain ages, he referenced a scientific study on elderly deaths.

"I won't get into the study. I'm too tired right now," he said, prompting hearty laughs in the jury box.

Later in the afternoon, the defense attorney pressed Pena on his contact with his boss, the county medical examiner, about the case. The pathologist said they talked, but not about the details of the shooting.

"He just wants to know when I'm coming back," the doctor said.

Again, there was a roar of laughter from the jury.

The panelists had already been dismissed for the weekend when Plourd told the judge he had at least another half day of cross-examination to go.

Also Thursday, the judge reaffirmed his decision not to allow the defense to present statements Spector made to police after his arrest, in which he told officers that Clarkson shot herself.

"It's attempting to have Mr. Spector testify without subjecting him to cross-examination," Fidler said.

When attorney Bruce Cutler asked if the judge could suggest a way to ask Pena whether he considered the statements, an irritated Fidler replied, "How do you get into that? Put Mr. Spector on the stand."

The trial is being streamed live on Court TV Extra.