#278: Be My Baby - Phil Spector's Greatest Hits - Number 3

In the spring or early summer of 1991, Melissa Grosvenor, a waitress in New York, developed a “romantic but platonic” dating relationship with Phil Spector. At this time, Spector was living in a penthouse suite of a New York hotel but also kept a home in Pasadena.

In October 1992, about a year and a half after Grosvenor and Spector began dating, she accepted Spector’s invitation to come to California to see him. Sometime between November 1992 and early 1993, Grosvenor flew on a plane to Los Angeles using a ticket Spector bought for her, arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport at about 1:00 p.m. At the airport, a driver picked her up and took her to a hotel in Pasadena that Spector had arranged for her to stay at.

Sometime before 9:00 p.m., Spector’s driver picked up Spector and Grosvenor and took them to a restaurant at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They had dinner there, and both ordered alcoholic drinks. Spector drank his drink. Their dinner was pleasant and lasted between an hour and an hour and a half. After dinner, they went back to Spector’s house in Pasadena, arriving there at about 11:00 p.m. Grosvenor was tired and had jet lag. At Spector’s house, in a great room, he fixed himself and Grosvenor a drink and then played music. Spector drank his drink but Grosvenor did not drink hers because she was tired. At this time, Spector had had more than two drinks and was “a bit drunk.”

Between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., Grosvenor was very tired and decided that the evening with Spector had come to a conclusion. Still in the great room, Grosvenor told Spector that she wanted to leave.  Spector’s whole demeanor changed. He appeared angry, enraged.

Spector turned and looked at Grosvenor, pointed his finger in her face, and said, “What? You want to go?” Spector said, “You just wait. Wait right there.” Spector left. Grosvenor sat down and waited for Spector to come back. A couple minutes later, Spector returned, holding a handgun in his right hand. Spector walked up to Grosvenor and pointed the gun at her face, the barrel a couple of inches away. Spector said, “If you try [to] leave, I’m going to kill you.” Spector put the gun into the shoulder holster that he was wearing. He was tapping the holster, rambling, and walking back and forth from where Grosvenor was sitting. Spector angrily made statements like, “You think you’re leaving. You’re not going to leave,” except with profanity.

Grosvenor started crying and was very upset and afraid for her life.  She believed that the gun was loaded and feared that he would shoot her if she tried to leave. Grosvenor stayed in the chair and did not say anything, closing her eyes because she was scared. At some point, totally exhausted, Grosvenor fell asleep, crying.

About five hours later, Grosvenor awoke to Spector tapping her on the foot. It was daylight. Spector did not have the shoulder holster on and was not holding the gun. Spector was “back to normal,” as Grosvenor knew him before the previous evening. Spector asked if Grosvenor would like to get some breakfast. Grosvenor said yes because she knew that was a way to get out of the house and because she could ask for help at a restaurant. They went to a diner where Grosvenor felt safer. She flew back to New York that day.