Spector trial to hear suicide theory

PHIL SPECTOR’S murder trial lawyers will portray gunshot victim Lana Clarkson as despondent over her finances and acting career and possibly contemplating suicide just before she met the American record producer, new documents have shown.

Lawyers submitted papers arguing that Clarkson’s mental state and use of drugs before her death at Spector’s mansion are central to the trial and should not be excluded as evidence.

The motions were submitted in advance of a hearing today. Jury selection resumes on April 16.

Clarkson was shot on February 3, 2003, in the foyer of Spector’s Alhambra home.

Best known for her role in the 1980s cult film Barbarian Queen, she was a nightclub hostess at the time of her death.

Prosecutors allege Spector — creator of the Wall of Sound that revolutionised the recording of rock music — shot Clarkson dead.

The coroner’s office called it a murder, but also noted Clarkson had gunshot residue on both of her hands and may have pulled the trigger.

Spector has pleaded not guilty and has suggested the shooting was an accident. Defence lawyers quoted from emails written by the actress in the months before her death.