Related: Jury Finds Jodi Arias Guilty
"Denied mistrial, lawyers try to quit murder case" by Brian Skoloff | Associated Press, May 21, 2013
PHOENIX — Complaining that Jodi Arias’s sensational murder case has become a modern-day ‘‘witch trial,’’ her lawyers tried to quit in the middle of the death-penalty phase Monday, then said they will call only one witness: Arias.
When Arias addresses the jury on Tuesday, the big question will be whether she pleads for mercy or repeats what she told a TV reporter minutes after she was convicted: that she would rather be executed than spend her life in prison.
The courtroom fireworks came as the jury that found Arias guilty of murder in the 2008 shooting and stabbing death of boyfriend Travis Alexander was hearing evidence on whether the former waitress should get the death penalty or a life sentence.
The defense had planned to call a female friend and an ex-boyfriend of Aria as witnesses.
But Kirk Nurmi told the court Monday the woman refused to testify after receiving threats, and he asked the judge to declare a mistrial in the penalty phase. The defense lawyer also renewed arguments that the judge should have sequestered the jury during the nearly five-month trial. ‘‘The court had a duty to protect Ms. Arias’s right to a fair trial and failed to do so,’’ he said. ‘‘This cannot be a modern-day version of . . . a witch trial.’’
Judge Sherry Stephens denied the mistrial request. Nurmi then asked that he and cocounsel Jennifer Willmott be allowed to withdraw, saying they could not effectively represent Arias. The judge turned down that request too.
Arias, 32, initially claimed she knew nothing about the slaying, then blamed masked intruders, then claimed self-defense.
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Also see: Jurors ask Jodi Arias about religion, memory
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"Woman asks for life sentence in boyfriend’s slaying; Jodi Arias says murder was ‘worst thing I’ve ever done’" by Brian Skoloff | Associated Press, May 22, 2013
PHOENIX — Jodi Arias admitted killing boyfriend Travis Alexander and said it was the ‘‘worst thing’’ she had ever done. But she stuck to her story that the brutal attack — which included stabbing Alexander more than 30 times, shooting him in the head, and nearly decapitating him — was her defense against abuse....
I haven't followed the particulars of tis at all, although I know AmeriKan ma$$ media is con$umed with it. This isn't a Nancy Grace blog.
Arias acknowledged the pain she caused Alexander’s family, and said she hoped her conviction brought them peace.
Well, I don't know. He's gone.
‘‘I loved Travis, and I looked up to him,’’ Arias said. ‘‘At one point he was the world to me. This is the worst mistake of my life. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done.’’
She said she considered suicide, but didn’t kill herself after Alexander’s death because of her love for her own family.
Arias said she regretted that details of her sex life with Alexander came out during the trial....
After she finished speaking, the judge told jurors they can consider a handful of factors when deciding Arias’s sentence, including defense assertions that she is a good friend and a talented artist.
Arias initially claimed she knew nothing about Alexander’s June 2008 killing at his suburban Phoenix home.
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MORE: Jury deadlocks on penalty for Arias
Let God sort it out.
