Spector's murder retrial begins

Legendary music producer went on trial again Wednesday for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, a year after a hung jury resulted in a mistrial.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Alan Jackson portrayed Spector as a troubled man with a history of resorting to violence and armed threats when women spurned his sexual advances, as the government alleges Clarkson did.

The case stemmed from the 2003 death of Clarkson, who was found shot to death in the foyer of Spector's castle-like home in Los Angeles after meeting him that night at a club where she was a hostess. Prosecutors allege that Spector shot her in a pique of rage, but Spector and his lawyers have argued that she was despondent and killed herself.

In a statement that closely matched his argument from the first trial, Jackson detailed a string of women who said they were threatened by Spector in similar circumstances.

Spector was one of the most famous and influential music producers of the 1960s and 1970s, inventing the 'wall of sound' recording technique and producing Beatles tracks like Let It Be.