Judge Sentences Jodi Arias to Life in Prison
MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA – April 13, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – A judge has sentenced Jodi Arias to life in prison.
Arias was found guilty in May 2013 of murdering her on-off boyfriend, Travis Alexander, five years earlier.
Two juries were unable to decide whether or not she should receive the death penalty. All but one holdout on the second jury wanted to give Arias the death penalty, jurors said. However, because a unanimous decision was not reached, the judge had to decide whether she would spend the rest of her life in prison or if she will have the possibility for parole after 25 years.
Members of Travis Alexander’s family spoke in the courtroom. His sister, Hilary Wilcox, said: “It hurts too much to remember him alive… because I remember how he was brutally taken from us, and I can’t handle it.” His sister Samantha Alexander said: “I wouldn’t waste my time addressing her [Arias] because I wouldn’t waste my breath.”
Prosecutor Juan Martinez said: “When they think about the stabbing, they feel it. They feel the burn. They can hear his cries, hear him screaming.”
His family members implored the judge to give Arias the stiffest sentence possible.
Arias’ mother Sandy Arias also addressed the court. Arias herself spoke last, and said she was truly disgusted with herself and she wished she could take back what she did.
Arias took the stand for a marathon 18 days in the first trial, which turned into a national spectacle with live coverage. Judge Sherry Stephens ruled that cameras were not allowed in court during the second trial, covering the sentencing phase, except for the reading of the verdict.
Arias killed her ex-boyfriend in 2008 after a stormy relationship. Prosecutors say she murdered him in a jealous rage because he wanted to break off the relationship.
Arias shot Alexander and stabbed him nearly 30 times in his suburban Phoenix home before fleeing and driving to Utah to meet up with another romantic interest. She was arrested weeks later and initially denied any involvement.
International media attention soon followed after she did two television interviews in which she told a bizarre story of masked intruders breaking into the home and killing Alexander while she cowered in fear. She subsequently changed her story and said it was self-defense after Alexander attacked her on the day he died.
Her 2013 trial became a media circus as details of their kinky relationship and the violent crime scene emerged in court and were broadcast live. Spectators traveled to Phoenix and lined up in the middle of the night to get a seat in the courtroom.
Interest in the case intensified after Arias did a jailhouse interview minutes after she was convicted of murder, telling a local TV reporter that she preferred the death penalty over life in prison.
The original jury was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to death, setting up another penalty phase trial that began last year. The second jury also failed to reach a unanimous decision — this time 11-1 in favor of death. The 11 jurors who wanted the death penalty said the holdout juror had an agenda and was sympathetic to Arias.
