LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Famed rock producer Phil Spector pleaded innocent on Monday to an indictment charging him with murdering actress Lana Clarkson and claimed he was the victim of a prosecutor who was acting like Adolf Hitler.

Spector, 53, was indicted by a Los Angeles County grand jury last week on a murder charge. The indictment was unsealed on Monday before Spector entered his not guilty plea during a brief court appearance.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Spector criticized the prosecutor's decision to seek a grand jury indictment, saying: "The actions of the Hitler-like district attorney and his storm trooper henchmen are reprehensible, unconscionable and despicable."

He said that as a California taxpayer he deserved a preliminary hearing, where the evidence against him would be presented in public and a judge would decide if he should stand trial. The grand jury indictment brought by Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing.

Spector said it was unfair that he had been denied a preliminary hearing when Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was given one in his Colorado rape case. Spector said it was Bryant's preliminary hearing that lead to prosecutors dropping those charges.

"Does this district attorney have something to hide and fear?" he asked. "This district attorney is pursuing a personal vendetta."

The district attorney's spokeswoman, Sandi Gibbons, said prosecutors obtained the indictment because they wanted to prevent further delays in the case, which stems from the Feb. 3, 2003, shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at Spector's mansion outside Los Angeles.

"There is nothing politically motivated about this case," Gibbons said. "Ms. Clarkson was killed almost two years ago. We basically want this case to go to trial."

Police found the 40-year-old Clarkson, star of such films as "The Barbarian Queen" and "Amazon Women on the Moon," shot dead in the foyer of Spector's 33-room house, which resembles a castle.

Spector, best-known for his pioneering "Wall of Sound" recording technique and work with such groups as the Beatles, has claimed Clarkson shot herself. Prosecutors say an extensive investigation showed Spector shot Clarkson.