Re: Spector victim Clarkson was despondent, a friend testifies (All about celebrities)

[ Home ][ Home ] [ First Article ][ Previous Article ] [ Next Article ] [ Newest Article ]

Re: Spector victim Clarkson was despondent, a friend testifies

Posted on: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:39:54 +0000 (UTC)

On Jul 17, 10:21 am, "edonline" wrote:
> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-spector17ju...
>
> From the Los Angeles Times
>
> Clarkson was despondent, a friend testifies
>
> She says the actress was depressed about her waning career and told her, 'I
> don't want to live anymore.... I want to end it.'
>
> By Peter Y. Hong
> Times Staff Writer
>
> July 17, 2007
>
> Actress Lana Clarkson told a friend she did not want to live anymore just
> days before she died from a gunshot wound at music producer Phil Spector's
> mansion in Alhambra, the friend testified Monday in Los Angeles County
> Superior Court.
>
> Punkin Laughlin, who called Clarkson her best friend, testified that
> Clarkson drank, used drugs and was depressed about her faltering acting
> career before her death.
>
> She said Clarkson, who had supported herself acting in commercials and
> low-budget films, felt "humiliated" by working at the House of Blues as a
> hostess after acting work dried up.
>
> Clarkson's frustration erupted at a party about a week before her death,
> Laughlin said. When film director Michael Bay, whom Clarkson had once worked
> with on a car commercial, did not recognize her, Clarkson broke down in
> tears, Laughlin said.
>
> Soon after, Laughlin recalled Clarkson telling her in a phone conversation,
> "I don't want to live anymore. I don't want to live in this town. I want to
> end it."
>
> Clarkson was shot through the mouth in the foyer of Spector's home Feb. 3,
> 2003. Spector, the legendary music producer for the Beatles, the Righteous
> Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner, has pleaded not guilty to murder and is
> free on bail.
>
> Spector's attorneys say Clarkson shot herself in despair after going to
> Spector's home shortly after meeting him at the House of Blues.
>
> Prosecutor Alan Jackson questioned Laughlin's memory and motives. He asked
> why she did not mention the phone call from Clarkson when she was
> interviewed by detectives shortly after Clarkson's death.
>
> Laughlin said a friend had cautioned her not to speak about Clarkson without
> a lawyer present.
>
> Jackson also asked Laughlin whether her testimony was biased because she
> worked as a promoter for a nightclub partly owned by a close friend of
> Spector.
>
> Laughlin denied any bias, saying she knew little about the relationship
> between Spector and David Kessel, an investor in the Backstage Cafe.
>
> Laughlin said under questioning by Jackson that she had spoken to a writer
> about collaborating on a book that would detail her relationship with
> Clarkson. She also acknowledged that she had contacted a publicist after
> Clarkson's death.
>
> When Jackson asked if she had sought financial gain from her connection to
> Clarkson, Laughlin said she had not, adding, "You're kidding, right?"
>
> Laughlin, responding to questions by Spector attorney Roger J. Rosen, said
> she contacted a publicist for help because she anticipated being deluged by
> reporters after Clarkson's death. The book project, she said, had not
> progressed beyond discussions with the writer.
>
> Laughlin's ability to remember events also was scrutinized. An earlier
> witness, Jennifer Hayes, a mutual friend of Laughlin and Clarkson, said last
> week that Laughlin had a poor memory and relied on Clarkson to help her.
>
> Laughlin explained that Hayes' remark reflected "a joke" among friends.
> "It's not that I don't have a memory," Laughlin said, but more a statement
> about Clarkson's reliability. "Lana, she's an Aries, and if you know anyone
> who's an Aries, you know they're right about everything."
>
> Jackson asked Laughlin whether she decided to testify about what she said
> Clarkson told her in the phone conversation to help the defense because it
> made her feel important.
>
> "You've gotta be friggin' kidding me," she answered.
>
> Laughlin's testimony is scheduled to resume today.

with friends like that, who needs enemies.

[ Home ][ Home ] [ First Article ][ Previous Article ] [ Next Article ] [ Newest Article ]