Spector Defense Calls Hollywood Madam

May 09, 07:01 PM

Current Headlines: A convicted Hollywood madam has been subpoenaed to testify at the murder trial of legendary producer Phil Spector, signaling a possible shift in tactics by the defense, which had promised not to "besmirch" slain actress Lana Clarkson.

Defense attorneys told the jury during opening statements last month that they planned to rely on forensics science to show that Clarkson shot herself four years ago in Spector's Alhambra mansion. Bruce Cutler, Spector's lead lawyer, said at the time, "I'm not casting aspersions, I wouldn't do it. It's not right."

But plans to call Jody "Babydol" Gibson, who served 22 months in prison for running an international prostitution ring, suggest the defense is considering another direction. Gibson, in her memoir Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam, wrote that she sent a tall, blond call girl named "Alana" to the Bel-Air Hotel to service a Texas politician. "Unfortunately, this gal would make headlines in the news years later after being found murdered in the home of a wealthy record producer," Gibson wrote.

Dirtying up the victim is a timeworn, if risky, defense strategy, particularly when the victim is a woman, said USC law professor Jean Rosenbluth.

"Jurors are emotional people, more easily swayed by their sympathies than judges," she said.

Attempted rape at gunpoint

Clarkson, 40, was found shot in the mouth on February 3, 2003, in the foyer of the music producer's home. Spector, 67, has pleaded not guilty and remains free on $1-million bail.

The statuesque blond had performed in B-movies such as Roger Corman's Barbarian Queen and did television work including episodes of Silk Stalkings and Knight Rider.

The possibility of Gibson appearing came after the jury heard harsh testimony on Tuesday from a one-time girlfriend of Spector's who said he had tried to rape her at gunpoint.

Dianne Ogden, a music executive, told the court that one night in 1989 Spector had ordered her upstairs to his bedroom, threatening her with a pistol and a rifle.

When Deputy District Attorney Pat Dixon asked if Spector had attempted to be intimate, Ogden-Halder said, "He didn't have to do that, he could have been romantic but he did it by gunpoint. He wanted to rape me. I don't know why he was doing this.

"I didn't want to make to love with him like that, with him telling me he was going to blow my brains out. That was not romantic to me."

She said no sex took place and she awoke next morning to hear Spector singing in the shower as if nothing had happened. "It was weird," she said. "I started wondering 'Did I just dream that?'"

In another incident, Ogden said Spector threatened to kill her with an Uzi submachine gun, after which she broke contact with him. Neither incident was officially reported.

Agencies

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