John
04-14-2009, 06:59 AM
Phil Spector's former girlfriend is celebrating the music mogul's second-degree murder conviction - because she's still sickened by the memory of the producer holding a gun at her head.
Spector faces at least 18 years behind bars after he was found guilty of shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death at his home in Alhambra, California in 2003.
And Devra Robitaille, who testified against the mogul at both his original murder trial in 2007 and retrial last year, admits she's relieved the whole thing is over, bar sentencing on 29 May.
Prosecutor Alan Jackson called for Robitaille to testify because he felt her retelling of the night Spector held a gun to her head would demonstrate the producer's "long history of gun-related violence directed at women".
Robitaille, who worked at Warner Spector Records from 1974 to 1977 and claimed Spector aimed a shotgun against her head when she tried to leave his home one night after a party, says she felt compelled to appear in court because her own daughter, who is now 15, could become a victim of someone like her former boss and lover.
She tells WENN, "I've got a daughter. She's only 15; when we first started this dance, I think she was 12 or 13. That's what kept me co-operating, the thought that anybody would do anything like that to her. It's an outrage and it can't be condoned and it must not slip through the cracks. That's what's motivated me all the way through.
"I got into a lot of trouble on the stand for talking to the press. I was humiliated and dragged through the mud and made to look like some stupid schmuck... but I stand by my convictions. I talked because I thought that the truth should come out and people should know.
"I'm over the moon with the verdict. It's symbolic that people can't get away with it, and the fancy footwork of the lawyers doesn't always mask the truth."
Robitaille admits she's still haunted by the memory of Spector at his worst: "I've seen that look in his eyes. I was fed up with that behaviour way back when... I'm just sorry that Lana ended up dead. Sometimes the wake-up call comes a bit too late."
And the songwriter pays tribute to Jackson and his team for eventually landing a guilty verdict six years after the Clarkson tragedy.
She adds, "I think Alan Jackson and his crowd should really be commended. They were awesome. They were all true gentlemen."
Spector faces at least 18 years behind bars after he was found guilty of shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death at his home in Alhambra, California in 2003.
And Devra Robitaille, who testified against the mogul at both his original murder trial in 2007 and retrial last year, admits she's relieved the whole thing is over, bar sentencing on 29 May.
Prosecutor Alan Jackson called for Robitaille to testify because he felt her retelling of the night Spector held a gun to her head would demonstrate the producer's "long history of gun-related violence directed at women".
Robitaille, who worked at Warner Spector Records from 1974 to 1977 and claimed Spector aimed a shotgun against her head when she tried to leave his home one night after a party, says she felt compelled to appear in court because her own daughter, who is now 15, could become a victim of someone like her former boss and lover.
She tells WENN, "I've got a daughter. She's only 15; when we first started this dance, I think she was 12 or 13. That's what kept me co-operating, the thought that anybody would do anything like that to her. It's an outrage and it can't be condoned and it must not slip through the cracks. That's what's motivated me all the way through.
"I got into a lot of trouble on the stand for talking to the press. I was humiliated and dragged through the mud and made to look like some stupid schmuck... but I stand by my convictions. I talked because I thought that the truth should come out and people should know.
"I'm over the moon with the verdict. It's symbolic that people can't get away with it, and the fancy footwork of the lawyers doesn't always mask the truth."
Robitaille admits she's still haunted by the memory of Spector at his worst: "I've seen that look in his eyes. I was fed up with that behaviour way back when... I'm just sorry that Lana ended up dead. Sometimes the wake-up call comes a bit too late."
And the songwriter pays tribute to Jackson and his team for eventually landing a guilty verdict six years after the Clarkson tragedy.
She adds, "I think Alan Jackson and his crowd should really be commended. They were awesome. They were all true gentlemen."