LOS ANGELES (AP):

Six years after actress Lana Clarkson was found dead in the foyer of legendary music producer Phil Spector's mansion, the diminutive 69-year-old finds himself in a Los Angeles jail cell.

Spector was convicted of second-degree murder yesterday. His sentencing is scheduled for May 29 and he faces at least 18 years to life in prison, barring a successful appeal.

Spector, wearing one of his signature suits with a long black coat, red tie and red handkerchief, had no obvious reaction to the jury's verdict. His 28-year-old wife, Rachelle, sobbed as the verdict was announced. Spector was led out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies and remanded to jail immediately.

"He took it very stoically," defence attorney Doron Weinberg said later. "He wanted to know what is next."

Juror wept

The jury forewoman, who spoke later, also wept. She recounted the pressure of deciding the fate of another person.

"It just is a painful decision," she said. "For anybody in our shoes, you have no idea. It's tough to be on a jury."

The murder case was a flash from Hollywood's distant past, a reminder of the 1960s when Spector reigned as the hit maker supreme with such songs as the Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and the Ronettes' classic, Be My Baby.

The 40-year-old Clarkson, star of the 1985 cult film Barbarian Queen, died of a gunshot fired in her mouth as she sat in Spector's mansion in February 2003. She met Spector only hours earlier at her job as a nightclub hostess. In one of many ironies of the case, she had no idea of his fame. Prosecutors argued Spector had a history of threatening women with guns when they tried to leave his presence.

The defence claimed she was despondent over her fading career and killed herself.

Spector's chauffeur, the key witness, said he heard a gunshot, then saw Spector emerge holding a gun and heard him say: "I think I killed somebody."

A first jury deadlocked 10-2, favouring conviction in 2007. This time, jurors spent about 30 hours in deliberations before finding Spector guilty. They had the option of choosing involuntary manslaughter, but did not do so. The panel also found Spector personally used a firearm in committing a crime.

"It feels fantastic, this is the type of day prosecutors live for," said Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson, who summed up Spector's motive for killing Clarkson in one word: "Rage."

Clarkson's mother and sister attended with their lawyer, who said they would not personally comment because they now face resolution of their civil damage suit against Spector.

Pleased family

"The family is pleased that the jury rejected distortions of Lana Clarkson's life," said attorney John Taylor.

Prosecutors, haunted by the acquittals of stars such as O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake and Michael Jackson, at first seemed invested in making Spector the first showbiz star to be convicted in a major criminal case. But after the first trial ended in a deadlock, public interest faded. The second six-month trial was played out in a sparsely populated courtroom with few members of the media present.