Judge Disagrees That Phil Spector's Habit Of Pressing A Gun To His Ex's Head Is Irrelevant
Accused murderer Phil Spector can dress himself up in sensible pantsuits and wash-n'-go haircuts all he likes, but he is unlikely to be mistaken any time soon for a benign lesbian observational comic—especially as mounting evidence reveals a disturbing history of gun violence directed at women:
Spector's lawyers fought to bar the testimony of Devra Robitaille, his former girlfriend and employee, saying that her decades-old evidence was irrelevant to the case and could cause delays in the trial.
But Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler rejected those arguments at pretrial hearing in the case. Opening statements are expected to begin in late April or early May.
Prosecutors say Robitaille will testify that after a party at Spector's home in the mid-1970s, the producer held a gun to her forehead, threatening to shoot her if she left. She is expected to tell jurors about a similar incident that she says occurred in the foyer of Spector's home in the mid-1980s.
The defense is busily formulating their counter to the potentially damning testimony, leaning currently towards the argument that the context-deficient anecdote failed to mention that an easily befuddled Spector had often mistaken Robitaille for an extremely familiar-looking and ingenious female burglar, whose M.O. was to repeatedly penetrate his state-of-the-art security system, pack a suitcase, and threaten to leave him once and for all if he "kept carrying on like a homicidal maniac."
