Phil Spector Filing Appeal to Contest 2008 Murder Conviction

Producer Phil Spector, known for creating the 'Wall of Sound' technique, for producing the Beatles 'Let It Be' and his wild and crazy hair, will not go quiet into that good jail cell, to perversely paraphrase a Dylan Thomas poem! The producer, 72, is serving a 19-years-to-life sentence on a 2008 murder conviction but he is filing Supreme Court appeal to contest the conviction.

Spector was convicted of second-degree murder charges in the death of actress Lana Clarkson. Clarkson was founded dead from a gunshot wound in Spector's mansion back in 2003. But he is fighting against the ruling.

According to CNN, the justices are expected to scheduled a closed-door conference imminently to decide whether or not to review Spector's case. However, that possibility does not look likely for Spector, since the justices more often than not reject criminal appeals and the convictions usually stand.

So why is Spector attempting to reach the Supreme Court at this point? He is claiming his rights were violated when the trial judge made comments during an expert's testimony. The Supreme Court of California refused to hear the appeal, so he is going even higher.

The Spector case has been full of drama. The first trial ended in a mistrial in 2007, when jurors said they could not render a verdict after two weeks of deliberations. His lawyers claimed that Clarkson was depressed over a breakup and killed herself with a .38 at Spector's home. A second trial took place a year later and Spector was convicted. Five female witnesses for the prosecution helped seal that verdict when they claimed that he had threatened them with a gun.

A film about Spector's case is in production, with decorated actor Al Pacino playing the role of Spector.