
LOS ANGELES — The judge presiding over Phil Spector's murder trial said Tuesday that he is likely to approve a jury visit to the music legend's mansion, but wants to ensure that the field trip is free of the type of scene manipulation that occurred during a field trip in the O.J. Simpson case.
"We are going to prescreen for that before a juror ever walks through the house," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler told lawyers.
A book published after Simpson's 1995 acquittal revealed that the defense redecorated the retired N.F.L. star's residence before panelists arrived. They removed photos of him posing with white friends and a nude photo of his girlfriend and added a Bible to his nightstand. They also added a Norman Rockwell print showing federal marshals escorting a young black girl as she integrated into a school.
"It is now known that the scene was managed to try to influence the jury," Fidler said. He added, "I am going to make sure that doesn't happen."
The Spector proceeding is the first criminal trial to be televised live in Los Angeles County since the Simpson case.
Spector has lived in the 33-room Alhambra residence, known as the Pyrenees Castle, since the shooting. His wife, Rachelle, and an assistant also live there. The judge said he and prosecutors will inspect the property before the view, which, he said, could happen as soon as next week.
The defense requested the field trip early in the trial as a way for jurors to gauge the volume of a fountain outside the rear door. A chauffeur claims Spector exited the house after the shooting and said, "I think I killed somebody," but the defense maintains the cascading water is too loud for the driver to have heard him.
In court Tuesday, attorney Christopher Plourd outlined what he said was another benefit of a jury view: Giving jurors an appreciation of the "intimate and small" nature of the mansion's entranceway.
Spector, 67, is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in a chair in the red-carpeted foyer Feb. 3, 2003.
"Our primary focus is just for the jury to be in the foyer area," Plourd said.
The judge said he was postponing a final ruling until after his tour of the house, but agreed with the defense that the trip could be valuable to jurors.
"I have no problem granting that, because I think it will be useful to the jury," he said.
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