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Tag: Jodi Arias Murder

  • Jodi Arias: Jury Returns To Deliberate Life Or Death Sentence

    Jodi Arias continues to wait for a verdict from the jury that is in the process of deliberating her sentence for the 2008 murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander.

    The jury halted deliberations on Thursday, and remained in recess on Friday.

    Jodi Arias will either be granted life in prison or the death sentence.

    This is the second jury to deliberate the sentencing of Jodi Arias.

    The first jury ended in a deadlock. If the second one does the same, then the death penalty will be taken off the table as an option.

    In that case, a judge will be handed the responsibility of determining if Jodi Arias will receive the possibility of parole after 25 years.

    Jodi Arias‘ murder trial captivated the nation with its scandalous details and the gruesome way in which Travis Alexander was murdered.

    He was killed by multiple stab wounds, a slit throat nearing decapitation, and a gunshot wound to the head.

    The defense says that Jodi Arias killed Travis Alexander out of self-defense, but the prosecution claims that she killed him in a jealous rage when he broke up with her and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.

    In closing arguments on Tuesday, Jodi Arias’ attorney pleaded for her life. He called her remorseful and fragile, saying she suffers from mental illness and she was physically and emotionally abused as a child.

    However, prosecuting attorney Juan Martinez displayed gory pictures of Travis Alexander after Jodi Arias killed him and said that in the state’s view, there were no mitigating factors that should preclude a death sentence.

    What do you think will happen to Jodi Arias?

  • Jodi Arias Case With The Jury Now, What Will Be Her Fate?

    Jodi Arias now awaits the decision of a jury to decide her fate. The jury deliberated for about three hours before dismissing until next Thursday.

    The jury was handed the case of Jodi Arias on Wednesday after her defense lawyer made his final plea for her life.

    The case of Jodi Arias was a high-profile one which captivated the nation due to the scandalous details of her relationship with the victim, Travis Alexander.

    The extremely violent way in which Alexander was murdered by Jodi Arias was shocking, to say the least.

    Jodi Arias stabbed him multiple times, slit his throat, and shot him in the head.

    Now, the jury will decide her punishment.

    This is the second jury to deliberate over the fate of Jodi Arias. The first jury became deadlocked.

    What the jury must decide is, was the murder in self-defense or in a jealous rage?

    Jodi Arias’ lawyer, Kirk Nurmi, claims that Jodi was the victim in a twisted and demeaning relationship where she was sexually humiliated, then dumped for another woman.

    Nurmi also insisted that Travis Alexander used Jodi Arias as a plaything to quench his sexual urges. He said that Alexander called her demeaning names and told her she was soulless.

    “Why did we go from this sexual encounter to the killing?” Nurmi said. “Because of this tumultuous relationship. Because the emotional stress all this was bringing on.”

    The prosecutor portrayed Arias as a woman in an out of control jealous rage after Alexander broke off their relationship and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.

    They also showed photos of the grisly crime scene.

    Should this jury also become deadlocked, then the death penalty for Jodi Arias will be thrown out all together as an option for the next jury.

    Then, a judge will be left with the decision to sentence Jodi Arias to life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

    Do you think this jury will be able to reach a decision?

  • Jodi Arias: Sparring Over Legitimacy of Sex Letters Bogs Down Death Penalty Re-Trial

    Jodi Arias has claimed that ex-lover Travis Alexander wrote letters to her apologizing for an alleged incident in which she said she caught him masturbating while looking at pictures of young boys.

    Attorneys on both sides are sparring over whether the letters are legitimate and should be included as evidence in the penalty phase of the re-trial, which is slated to begin this week.

    On Thursday, prosecutor Juan Martinez said the letters were phony. Arias’ head lawyer Kirk Nurmi countered, saying the prosecution’s “own [forensic] expert did not say those letters were forged” and said they were impossible to authenticate since they were copies, AzCentral.com reported.

    The dispute, among others tied to possible evidence in the case, has caused the penalty phase retrial to be delayed until Tuesday. On Monday, Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens will hear arguments on the issues at a hearing.

    Stephens said the new jury that will decide whether the convicted murderer is sentenced to death, or whether she will spend the rest of her life in prison, will hear the case at Arizona’s Maricopa County Superior Court on Tuesday.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the 34-year-old, who murdered her former boyfriend Alexander in June 2008 via stabbing and shooting, after an initial attempt ended with a deadlocked jury.

    Before the new jury can start hearing the case, the judge will hear from the defense, which believes the death penalty should be taken off the table.

    “The defense has challenged the death penalty,” said azfamily.com‘s Mike Watkiss. “They want it thrown out. I think bear in mind the defense is now playing to appellate courts. They’re no longer playing to Judge Sherry Stephens. They want to set a record that they can later appeal on.”

    The judge has also ruled that there will be no live streaming video like there was for Arias‘ first trial and no broadcast video until after the verdict.

    “I think it’s sort of a suspect judgment on the part of Judge Sherry Stephens [to ban video until the verdict], but here we go,” Watkiss said. “These are the rules.”

    The waitress-photographer was convicted of first-degree murder in May 2013.

  • Jodi Arias to Represent Herself in Death Penalty Decision. Wise or Ridiculous Decision?

    Jodi Arias is back in the spotlight once again with the news that she will represent herself in the penalty phase of her murder trial, despite the fact she has no legal experience, no college diploma and is only equipped with a GED she completed while in prison.

    Judge Sherry Stephens granted Arias’ motion to act as her own attorney, but strongly suggested the convicted murderer reconsider her decision.

    “I do not believe it is in your best interests. I strongly urge you to reconsider,” said Stephens.

    Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder following the brutal stabbing of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2008. Arias admitted killing Alexander, but claimed it was self-defense. However, Alexander was stabbed nearly 30 times, had his throat slit and was shot in the forehead. Prosecutors said the murder was a premeditated act of jealousy in response to Alexander’s decision to end their affair.

    At the time of her conviction, jurors could not reach a decision on sentencing. A new jury was selected to hear a second penalty phase per Arizona law, and prosecutors hope to secure the death penalty this time around.

    While it may seem a preposterous idea for a convicted murderer to represent themselves, there are some attorneys who think it might not be a bad idea.

    “It’s actually probably a good idea to represent herself,” said Daniel Horowitz, a San Francisco-based defense attorney . “She looks like a vicious psychopath with a ridiculous defense.”

    On the other hand, Horowitz said the jury “may find her pathetic.”

    “If she can get just one juror to bond with her on some level, even if they hate her, they’re getting to know her, and it’s harder to kill someone you know,” he said.

    Her defense lawyers, who will continue to serve as advisory council, declined to comment on the decision.

    Arias and her attorneys have tried repeatedly to sever their relationship — especially after a series of interviews following her conviction in May 2013 — to no avail.

    Mel McDonald, a Phoenix defense lawyer and a former Maricopa County judge and federal prosecutor, believes Arias has nothing to lose in the decision to represent herself in the penalty phase, which will commence in four weeks.

    “I think generally that anybody that represents themselves has a fool for a client, but it also gives her a way, if she’s out there making a fool of herself, to maybe invoke some sympathy from a juror,” McDonald said.

    The death penalty will no longer be considered if the new jury cannot unanimously decide on the death penalty. In that case, the judge would sentence Arias to life-imprisonment with the option of possible release in 25 years.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons