Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The true crime docuseries Homicide: Los Angeles premiered on July 16, 2024, on Netflix. The show comes as a follow-up to the previously released Homicide: New York by Dick Wolf. The Los Angeles edition sees detectives and prosecutors highlight the city’s notorious murder cases. They also delve into the details about how they cracked them.
The first episode of Homicide: Los Angeles, “Hunting Phil Spector,” follows the 2003 murder of American actress Lana Clarkson, who was 40 years old at the time of her death. The case saw Clarkson’s killer, Phil Spector, maintain his innocence during the years-long trial.
Where is Lana Clarkson’s convicted killer Phil Spector now?
Per Forbes, Phil Spector passed away in prison at the age of 81 on January 16, 2021. The California state prison initially announced that he died of natural causes. However, Spector’s daughter later revealed that his death was caused by complications from COVID-19. Lana Clarkson’s killer was serving his 19-year sentence at the time of his passing.
Born Harvey Phillip Spector, he was an acclaimed record producer who rose to fame in the 1960s. Sky News reported that Spector met Clarkson at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip, where she was working as a hostess in February 2003. The two left the venue together and went to Spector’s mansion in Alhambra, California. Shortly after, the driver, Adriano De Souza, heard a sound from the property in the early hours of February 3. He later testified that he found Spector with a gun in his hand who said to him, “I think I killed somebody.” When the police arrived, they found Clarkson’s body on a chair. She had a gunshot wound to her mouth.
However, Spector claimed that Clarkson “kissed the gun” and committed suicide, reported Independent. The murder case initially took several years and ended in a mistrial. Eventually, Spector was convicted in 2009 during the second trial. The claims about Clarkson committing suicide due to her failed acting career were dismissed when several women testified against Spector. They reportedly claimed that Spector had a tendency to lock his dates up at his home and threaten them with a gun to follow his requests.
Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder in Lana Clarkson’s death, noted Forbes.
Homicide: Los Angeles is currently available to watch on Netflix.
