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Expert Witnesses misconduct in Spector retrial

When Phil Spector came to hiring expert witnesses for his murder defence, he went for the top of the range. The scientists he retained to analyse evidence in the fatal shooting of an actress are a Who’s Who of American forensics, including Dr Henry Lee, the forensic scientist who gained media attention for his work on the OJ Simpson murder trial. And James Pex, a retired laboratory director from Oregon who has appeared on Good Morning America, Dateline and the Discovery Channel TV Shows.

But if the conclusions of his scientific team have helped Spector’s cause, the conduct of the two members has left his defence vulnerable.

In his first trial, a judge concluded that Dr Henry Lee, hid or destroyed a potentially important piece of evidence from the death scene.

This month at Spector’s retrial, another scientist was accused by prosecutors of perjuring himself during testimony about bloodstains. The allegations set up the unusual tableau of the judge reading expert James Pex his rights as he sat on the witness stand.

Prosecutors have portrayed the alleged misconduct as part of a larger effort by the experts to twist the evidence to Mr Spectors benefit as they racked up huge bills in Pex’s case approximately £52,000.

Spector’s lawyer contests the accusations, and says prosecutors are attacking the scientists when they cannot challenge their science. The clashes show the hard-fought nature of every piece of evidence in a case where there are two competing versions of events and no eyewitness testimony. Spector and Lana Clarkson were alone in his home six years ago when a revolver discharged in her mouth. Spector faces 18 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. His defence claims Clarkson shot herself

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