Supreme Court Rejects Phil Spector's Murder Conviction Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Phil Spector's appeal against his 2009 murder conviction.

Spector, a former producer and inventor of the "Wall of Sound," was convicted of killing Lana Clarkson, an actress, three years ago.

He wanted the court to review his sentence because he felt he did not initially get a fair trial, since Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler had offered his opinion on an expert witness' testimony. However, as Rolling Stone reported today, the court has declined to review the conviction and is upholding the original verdict.

Last August, the California Supreme Court told the producer that he couldn't launch another appeal against the conviction. He originally appealed against the decision in 2010, when his lawyers claimed testimonies of five women who said he had threatened them in the past were improperly used during the trial. These claims also were also rejected.

On February 6, Spector settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's mother, Donna Clarkson. Spector had originally tried to mount a defense against the legal action, but he and Clarkson have since signed the settlement.

Spector was sentenced to 19 years in prison after being found guilty of Clarkson's murder in 2009.