Actors Who Were Tragically Murdered

March 2024 · 2 minute read

Lana Clarkson was a 40-year-old actor who was shockingly murdered by once-famous record producer Phil Spector in 2003. While she was not a huge draw during her career, she still had notable roles in a few films, including "Barbarian Queen," "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," and the TV show "Night Court," but her last credit was in 2001 a few years before her death. 

Clark and Spector had met on the night of February 2, 2003, while out, and she voluntarily accompanied him to his house in Alhambra, California. According to prosecutors in Spector's murder trial, Clarkson spurned Spector's sexual advances early the next morning on February 3rd, which upset Spector so much that he shot her to death — though Spector claimed that she had died by suicide and denied shooting her. However, immediately after killing Clarkson, Spector reportedly left the house and confessed the murder to his driver, who would later relay his words to police.

Police arrested Spector the night after the murder and he was indicted, but he was able to get out on $1 million bail while he was awaiting trial. Twenty months later, prosecutors charged Spector with murder, but the first trial ended in a hung jury when they could not get a conviction. Upon retrial, the 69-year-old Spector was convicted of murder and given a sentence of 19 years to life in prison. Spector himself later died at age 81 on January 16, 2021, while still incarcerated in a California state prison.

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