Judge Sets Date For Spector Retrial

Legendary music producer PHIL SPECTOR will face a retrial over the murder of actress LANA CLARKSON later this year (08).

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler - who presided over the first trial - set the new trial date of 29 September (08).

Spector is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra, California mansion in 2003.

Earlier this year (08), Spector launched a legal bid to disqualify Fidler from the music producer's murder retrial over allegations of bias.

In March (08), Spector's newly appointed lawyer Doron Weinberg filed a 44-page document to the Superior Court in Los Angeles claiming Fidler withdrew a jury instruction and crafted a new one after jurors first announced they were deadlocked in September 2007 - causing the trial to be declared as a mistrial.

The California Supreme Court is reviewing the allegations and is expected to reach a decision in the next few weeks.

Spector, 68, famed for his work in the 1960s with artists including The Beatles and Tina Turner, faces 15 years in prison if found guilty.