Jodi Arias, the 33-year-old woman who was convicted of first-degree murder last year for killing her boyfriend in 2008, is slated to appear in court this week.
Last year, the jurors were not able to a unanimous decision on her case.
Arizona law states that prosecutors for the case have the option to put a second penalty case forward with a jury in order to secure a death sentence.
In the event that the second panel still fails to reach a decision, the death penalty will be removed from consideration. The judge will then sentence Arias to life imprisonment, wherein she will be eligible for release after 25 years in jail.
Arias, a former waitress, admitted to killing Travis Alexander, her then boyfriend. However, she said that she did it in self-defense. Alexander had a slit throat, a shot to the forehead, and almost 30 knife wounds. According to prosecutors, Arias killed Alexander in a fit of rage after Alexander said that he wanted to end their relationship. Medical examiners say that the murder was over in less than 2 minutes.
Due to failing to reach a unanimous decision on last year’s trial, a retrial has been scheduled for September 8. However, Arias will be appearing in court on Friday, May 16, because of some issues raised by both the prosecution and the defense. They will also be arguing whether mitigation specialist Maria De La Rosa’s investigation will be accepted as evidence for the trial. According to reports, De La Rosa was banned from visiting Arias for a while, as she was said to have taken one of Arias’ drawings out of the Estrella jail, where Arias is being held.
Arias’ first trial stirred controversy, as it gained a lot of media attention. This time, however, Judge Sherry Stephens stated that media coverage will be limited in order to control publicity. Cameras and other electronic devices will also be banned from the upcoming trial.
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