LOS ANGELES -- A coroner testified forcefully Tuesday that Lana Clarkson's death was a homicide, undermining the claim by Phil Spector's defense that the actress committed suicide with a gun at his mansion.
Dr. Louis Pena disclosed that Clarkson had a bruise on her tongue indicating a trauma, possibly from the gun being shoved in her mouth, and also said she had recent bruises on her right arm and hand.
Asked to go beyond autopsy reports to analyze the manner of Clarkson's death, Pena said he learned about her from many sources and found her to be a hopeful person with no history of depression or suicide attempts.
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Her gunshot death with a purse on one shoulder at a stranger's home was not typical of someone taking their own life. In fact, he said, he had never heard of such a situation in any suicide.
Asked by prosecutor Alan Jackson to make a judgment based on "the totality of circumstances" he evaluated, Pena said firmly: "This is a homicide."
Pena said he was impressed with a chauffeur's account that Spector came out of his house with a gun in his hand and declared, "I think I killed somebody."
He also cited evidence that the gun had been wiped and a large amount of Clarkson's blood was in the left pocket of Spector's pants, which could indicate the gun was placed in the pocket.
He cast doubt on the scenario of Clarkson looking around Spector's house for a gun.
The coroner said Clarkson had been taking Elavil and Paxil, which are psychiatric medications generally given for depression, but that the actress had been seeing a neurologist who prescribed them for chronic headaches. He noted that if she wanted to commit suicide she could have saved enough pills in a few months for an overdose.
Rather, he said, "I found her to be a hopeful person from the notes I read."
And unlike the withdrawal from society that is typical of a clinically depressed person, "she loved to go out," Pena said.
He suggested that as an actress Clarkson may have thought Spector was someone who could have career connections for her, and he said there was no evidence she had been putting her affairs in order in advance of a suicide.
Spector, 67, is accused of murdering Clarkson, 40, around 5 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2003, after she agreed to accompany him to his mansion from her job as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
Jurors were shown graphic photos of the damage done to Clarkson's face and the inside of her mouth.
At least one juror looked away from the screen, and for the first time Clarkson's mother and sister were not present.
Pena gave a powerful description of the moment the actress died. He said the gun was in her mouth and the recoil shattered her top front teeth, blowing them out of her mouth.
The bullet severed her spine and death would have been almost instantaneous, though the heart might have beaten for three to five seconds, he said.
"All brain functions will cease. She'll not talk. She'll not scream. She won't cry," Pena said.
Pena said Clarkson would not have exhaled or expelled blood forcefully out her mouth.
The coroner testified the bullet went slightly upward from the mouth to the base of the skull, but he could not determine what position Clarkson's head was in at the time the shot was fired.
In cross-examination, attorney Christopher Plourd sought to show that Pena relied heavily on the work of others in analyzing forensic evidence.
Pena conceded he is not an expert in gunshot residue or blood spatter and acknowledged he consulted textbooks including one written by a defense expert, Dr. Werner Spitz, who sat in court.
The issue of a missing piece of acrylic fingernail from Clarkson's right thumb was raised again. Plourd asked Pena if it is common for a fingernail to break off when a person triggers a gun.
"That is incorrect," he said. "Never heard of it. Never seen it."
The fingernail issue is likely to arise again this week as prosecutors promised to call witnesses who have given testimony outside the jury's presence and one who hasn't testified. Robert Shapiro, the first lawyer to represent Spector, is on the upcoming witness list.
Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said he was aware of a claim that Shapiro tried to convince prosecutors not to charge Spector early on, telling them, "Your team missed something and we found it."
Shapiro claims the conversation is privileged, according to a defense motion. He also maintains he never saw a small item being recovered at the crime scene by defense experts. The judge said he would rule on Shapiro's testimony when he is called to the witness stand.
Spector rose to fame in the 1960s with what became known as the "Wall of Sound" recording technique that changed pop music. Clarkson was best known for her role in Roger Corman's 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen."
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