From Criminal Courts Building, Dept. 106

9:38 a.m.: Jurors have entered, with one chronically coughing.

“Some of you may wonder why I'm up here,” Doron Weinberg opens. Today begins the defense lawyer's second day of closing arguments on behalf of Phil Spector, who is accused of second-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of sometime-actress Lana Clarkson.

Weinberg is rehashing “satellite blood spatter,” one of the forensic tropes from Spector's first trial two years ago and which ended in a hung 10-2 jury. He's also explaining why Spector himself never called 911 after he allegedly discovered Clarkson's body in the foyer of his Alhambra mansion known as the Pyrenees Castle. Co-prosecutor Truc Do had previously made hay over Spector allegedly allowing Clarkson to bleed to death without seeking medical attention for her — even though he had 14 phones in his home. Weinberg is trying to sow doubt in jurors' minds about Spector's intentions by suggesting Spector had reasonably expected his driver, Adriano De Souza, to make the 911 call, which he eventually did.

Weinberg is also saying that De Souza, a Brazilian national, may have

misunderstood Spector's English when Spector announced to him upon

emerging from his house, gun in hand, “I think I killed somebody.” The

defense attorney's spin is that Spector may have said, “Call somebody.”

The courtroom remains packed in this, the third day of closing

arguments, with three rows of seats filled by Spector's friends and

supporters. Today is apparently the Associated Press' turn to provide

the pool images — there is a mike attached to the court podium with a

large “AP” logo wrapped around it on four sides. Great branding

idea — will we see a Nike “Swoosh” on the podium next?

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