The Unnamed Victims
I walked into the courtroom and felt immediately out of
place. An odd sensation, especially for
a public prosecutor, someone who has made his life’s work fighting for victims
within the walls of courthouses throughout Los Angeles County. But those were my courtrooms. This was
not.
The Second Appellate Division for the California Court of Appeals
conducts its business in beautiful environs.
Dark wood walls accent expensive-looking green marble. A meticulously
crafted bench carved in a semi-circle provides a dignified stage for the appellate
justices who occupy its space. Thick
carpet quiets the almost serene tone of the room. But the elegance of the courtroom stands in
stark contrast to the horrors described within it.
On April 12, those descriptions were of a beautiful woman being
shot to death through the mouth by an egocentric music producer whose persona
was marked by money, fame and violence. The
case being heard that day was the appeal by Phil Spector of his conviction for
murdering Lana Clarkson.