jodi arias court

jodi arias court, Three of the jurors in the Jodi Arias trial who voted to put the convicted killer to death say it was “gut-wrenching” when the panel couldn’t come to a consensus.

The jurors told ABC News that Arizona prosecutors forcefully made their case against Arias, who claimed self-defense in the killing of former boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008.

But while the jury of 12 found her guilty of first-degree murder earlier this month, capping weeks of testimony in the sensational trial, it couldn’t agree on whether the 32-year-old former waitress should live or die.

“We can’t come to a decision, and it was gut-wrenching. It was absolutely awful,” Diane Schwartz, a retired 911 operator, told ABC News.

After 13 hours of deliberation, eight jurors agreed last Thursday on the death penalty, while the remaining four said Arias deserved life in prison.

Arias earlier pleaded her case to dodge death row, telling jurors she would live her life behind bars doing good. That includes designing T-shirts to raise money for victims of domestic abuse and helping to start a recycling program and book club, she offered.

“Based on what we saw and the evidence presented, it was very apparent that we weren’t being told the truth in a lot of the matters, and there was a lot of cover-up,” Allen-Coogan told ABC News.

Schwartz said she apologized to prosecutors Thursday for the jury’s failure to sentence Arias to death.
“I immediately, as I was stepping down, told them, ‘I’m sorry,’” she said. “It was heartfelt because I was. I was very sorry.”

Judge Sherry Stephens was forced to declare a mistrial of the penalty phase and dismissed the panel.A conference with the judge and attorneys is set for June 20 to determine how both sides want to proceed. In the interim, Stephens set a July 18 retrial date.

The mistrial sets the stage for a whole new proceeding to determine whether Arias should get a life sentence or the death penalty.

She stabbed and slashed Alexander nearly 30 times, slit his throat slit and shot him in the forehead.
Prosecutors said she attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their relationship and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.

Prosecutors also have the option to take the death penalty off the table and avoid a new penalty phase. The judge would then determine whether to sentence Arias to spend her entire life behind bars or give her life with the possibility of release after 25 years.

Since Arias couldn't afford her own defense, taxpayers have footed the bill for court-appointed attorneys at a cost of nearly $1.7 million, a price tag that will only balloon if the case moves forward.

Should the state decide to seek death again, jury selection alone could take months, given the difficulty of seating an impartial panel in a case that has attracted global attention and become daily cable TV and tabloid fodder with tales of sex, lies and violence, said jury consultant Jo-Ellan Dimitrius.
“Will it be impossible? No. Will it be tough? Absolutely,” she said.

If Arias faces a new penalty phase, her murder conviction will stand, leaving the new panel tasked only with sentencing her. However, the proceedings could drag on for several more months as the new jury reviews evidence and witness testimony.

If the second jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, the judge would then sentence Arias to one of the life-in-prison options. The judge cannot sentence Arias to death.

jodi arias court 2013-05-29T03:44:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: My Videos Tube