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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Famed music producer Phil Spector at first told police he accidentally shot B-movie actress Lana Clarkson to death at his home in February 2003, contrary to his later claim that she committed suicide, newly released transcripts of grand jury testimony show.


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Slideshow: Phil Spector Murder Case




Five volumes of grand jury testimony were released late Thursday after the Los Angeles Times and other news organizations mounted a successful legal challenge against defense efforts to keep them sealed.


Beatrice Rodriguez, a police officer dispatched to Spector's mansion in a Los Angeles suburb, said that when she arrived, the 64-year-old music producer said, ".... I didn't mean to shoot her. It was an accident."


Spector's driver, Adriano De Souza, told the grand jury that about three minutes after he heard a shot inside the house and called police, Spector came out holding a gun and told him, "I think I killed somebody."


He said that when asked for more details, Spector shrugged his shoulders and did not say anything.


Three women also testified that in various circumstances, ranging from a house party to a visit to his home, Spector had threatened them with a gun.


Spector, famed for his "Wall of Sound" productions for such stars as the Beatles and Ike and Tina Turner (news), is charged with murdering Clarkson, 40, on Feb. 3, 2003 after picking her up at the Los Angeles nightclub where she worked as a hostess. Now free on $1 million bail, he faces life in prison if convicted.


He has subsequently claimed in an Esquire magazine interview that Clarkson shot herself to death. The actress died of a single bullet wound to her head.