Yoko Ono and Keith Richards have agreed to speak as character witnesses for Phil Spector in his murder trail in Los Angeles Superior Court for the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson, according to the British newspaper The Sun.

 
Phil Spector

Ono and Spector have worked together numerous times over the years. Spector produced a total of seven albums for Ono and John Lennon, who according to published accounts witnessed Spector fire a handgun in a Los Angeles studio in 1973. Richards, who last month inducted Spector's protegees the Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has been friendly with Spector since 1963. Spector and the Ronettes' frontwoman Ronnie Spector were married from 1968 to 1974.

Twelve jurors have already been sworn in to serve in the trial, with six alternatives to be selected today (Monday, April 23rd). The Los Angeles Times reported that among the three women and nine men selected is a Dateline NBC producer, who has covered several high-profile celebrity trials including the trials of O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson.

 
Phil Spector

According to his juror questionnaire, the juror wrote that he has intimate knowledge of the Spector murder case stating that, "for several months, I have been assigned to this case for NBC News as a senior producer." The juror revealed that he had already been privy to, "numerous court documents in the case."

Noted jury consultant Robert Hirschorn, who is not working on the case, told The Times that, "If he's not doing it to advance his career, he could be the best juror. With so much knowledge and experience, he will be persuasive and will bend over backward to be fair to Spector -- as long as he's not coming in with an agenda."

Spector, who has maintained that Clarkson accidentally committed suicide, remains free on $1 million bail.