Calif. Supreme Court won't hear Spector appeal

LOS ANGELES — The California Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to consider legendary rock music producer Phil Spector's appeal of his murder conviction.

Spector's attorneys have argued that during the trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler prejudiced the case by allowing prosecutors to use pictures of him in closing arguments as if he were a witness.

They also have said Fidler improperly allowed jurors to watch a videotape of him explaining testimony by a witness about forensic evidence at a hearing outside the jury's presence. By allowing jurors to watch the tape and see the photos, Fidler turned himself into a witness and violated his neutrality, attorneys said.

An appeals court refused to consider the issue in May. That court has said there was enough evidence to convict Spector of the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion in 2003.

Spector, famous for his work with The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and others, is serving 19 years to life in prison on a second-degree murder conviction.