Jodi Arias may have been convicted of the murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2013, but the trial to determine whether or not she receives the death penalty is still moving on, and now it has been postponed.
Prosecutors reportedly asked for the delay in order to interview a witness who had access to a laptop that belonged to Alexander. Arias’ attorneys claim that authorities destroyed files on the laptop that might have aided her greatly during her first trial. Their hope is to convince the jury that she suffers from mental issues and doesn’t deserve the death penalty for Alexander’s murder.
Arias led police on a wild investigation, telling them first that she was out of town when her boyfriend was killed, then blaming the murder on an intruder who attacked her and left him dead. Finally, two years after her arrest, she admitted to killing him in self defense after he attacked her. However, prosecutors argue that she killed Alexander in a jealous rage after he told her he wanted to end their relationship. He was found with multiple stab wounds, a slit throat, and a gunshot to the head.
Though Arias was found guilty of murder, jurors couldn’t come to an agreement about whether she deserves the death penalty and a mistrial was declared. This new trial for the penalty phase began in October and is expected to last the better part of this month, though it’s not known whether court will reconvene on Tuesday or later in the week. Arias is rumored to be close to taking the stand, but nothing has been confirmed.