Jodi Arias, the young woman who was found guilty last week of first degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, is awaiting the results of a new phase of her trial: that which decides her fate.
The court reconvened today to decide whether or not Arias will receive the death penalty for the murder of Travis Alexander, who was found in his bathtub in 2008 with multiple stab wounds, a gunshot wound, and a slit throat. Arias pinned the murder on an intruder at first, but after evidence was introduced that put her at the crime scene, she admitted she’d killed Alexander and said it was in self-defense. The defense attorneys painted a picture of a woman in love, who often wrote poetry to Alexander; the prosecution, however, said she was a jealous, spurned woman out for revenge after Alexander rejected her.
In order to get a death penalty sentence, prosecutor Juan Martinez will inevitably argue that Alexander died a cruel and bloody death, as evidenced by the numerous defensive wounds found on his body. He’ll also be calling on more witnesses and speaking to members of Alexander’s family in order to convince the jury that Arias deserves to die for her crime.
As for Arias, she says she’d rather die than spend the rest of her life in prison, which is the alternative to the death sentence.
“Longevity runs in my family, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place,” she said. “I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I’d rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it.”
