Jodi Arias has been ordered by a judge to make restitution to the family of her former boyfriend, Travis Alexander, for the travel expenses incurred during her lengthy trial.
Arias was convicted in 2013 of the 2008 murder after a long, highly dramatic trial that inspired a made-for-television movie and garnered huge amounts of media attention. But the conviction was only the first step; jurors couldn’t decide whether Jodi deserved the death penalty, so a retrial was set for her sentencing. She was given life in prison earlier this year.
Alexander’s family had originally asked for $100,000, but according to a judge, the factors determining the amount she will have to pay include whether she has that amount and what kind of receipts they turned in. Eventually, she will be required to give five of Alexander’s siblings about $30,000.
“In the past, my experience has been that victims are unlikely to get the money when somebody has been sent to prison for so long because they don’t have the ability to make it. Eventually she’ll be able to get a job making 10, 20 cents an hour so they can take money from that, but it’s very small,” said Arias’ attorney, Jennifer Willmott.
Jodi allegedly killed Travis Alexander after a day of intimacy, some of which was documented on a camera found in his home. There were also photos of him in the shower, alive one minute and dead the next. He was stabbed, shot, and had his throat cut. Jodi claimed she killed him in self defense after a violent argument, but prosecutors argued she did it in a rage after he tried to break things off with her.