Police in Spector case 'had murder on their minds,' defence alleges

In his opening statement at the murder trial of former record producer Phil Spector,the chiefdefence lawyercalled Lana Clarkson's death a "tragic accident" and accused the police ofhaving"murder on their minds."

Bruce Cutler toldthe court in Los Angeles on Thursday the policeofficers disregarded any evidence that was inconsistent with their conclusion that Spector had murdered Clarkson.

Spector, 67, a music producer known for the "wall of sound" technique, was charged after Clarkson was found dead of a gunshot to the mouth in Spector's home in February 2003.

Police interviewed witnesses and "acted in such a way that anything that was consistent, the evidence will show, with their preconceived notions and theories they embraced," Cutler told the court.

"And anything that was not consistent or inconsistent with that 'murder on their mind,' they ignored."

Cutler, a well-known New York lawyer who once defended mob boss John Gotti, said Clarkson killed herself.

"A self-inflicted gunshot wound can be accidental suicide, and that's what it was," he said.

As the trial started on Wednesday, prosecutor Alan Jackson told jurors that Spector had a historyof victimizing women.

Jackson said he plans to bring forward four women as witnesses to describe incidents in which a drunken Spector allegedlythreatened them, sometimes with a gun.

Jackson also described the famously reclusive Spector as having a "sinister and deadly" side.

Cutler attempted to discredit upcoming witnesses in his opening statements.

"These were women who were drawn to him and came back to him after the incidents," he said. "The evidence will show they kept taking his money and spending his money."

The trial is expected to last about three months.