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| Jodi Arias appears for the sentencing phase of her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. The same jury that convicted Arias of murder one week ago took about three hours Wednesday to determine that the former waitress is eligible for the death penalty in the stabbing and shooting death of her one-time lover in his bathroom five years ago. |
PHOENIX (AP)
-- The same jury that convicted Jodi Arias of first-degree murder last
week took less than three hours Wednesday to determine that the former
waitress is eligible for the death penalty in the killing of her
one-time lover.
The swift verdict sets the
stage for the final phase of the trial to determine whether the
32-year-old Arias should be sentenced to life in prison or the death
penalty for the 2008 murder of Travis Alexander in his suburban Phoenix
home.
Prosecutors will call Alexander's family
and other witnesses in an effort to convince the panel Arias should
face the ultimate punishment. Arias' defense lawyers will have her
family members testify, and likely others who have known her over the
years, in an attempt to gain sympathy from jurors to save her life. It's
not yet known if Arias will testify.
Arias
showed no emotion Wednesday after the jury returned a decision that was
widely expected given the violent nature of the killing. She slashed
Alexander's throat, stabbed him in the heart and shot him in the
forehead after a day of sex at his home in June 2008. The victim
suffered a total of nearly 30 knife wounds in what prosecutors described
as an attack fueled by jealous rage after Alexander wanted to end his
affair with Arias and prepared to take a trip to Mexico with another
woman.
The jury simply had to determine the
killing was committed in an especially cruel and heinous manner to
complete the "aggravation phase" of the trial and move on to the penalty
portion. The panel got the case around noon, took a lunch break and
returned with the verdict around 3 p.m.
Alexander's
family members sobbed in the front row as prosecutor Juan Martinez took
the jury through the killing one more time earlier in the day. He
described how blood gushed from Alexander's chest, hands and neck as the
30-year-old motivational speaker and businessman stood at the sink in
his master bathroom and looked into the mirror with Arias behind him, a
knife in her hand.
"The last thing he saw
before he lapsed into unconsciousness ... was that blade coming to his
throat," Martinez said. "And the last thing he felt before he left this
earth was pain."
Wednesday's proceedings
played out quickly, with only one prosecution witness and none for the
defense. The most dramatic moments occurred when Martinez displayed
photos of Alexander's corpse and the bloody crime scene for the jury,
then paused in silence for two minutes to describe how long he said it
took for Alexander to die at Arias' hands.
Arias,
wearing a silky, cream-colored blouse, appeared to fight back tears
most of the morning, but didn't seem fazed by the verdict. Afterward she
chatted with her attorneys. Arias spent the weekend on suicide watch
before being transferred back to an all-female jail where she will
remain until sentencing.
Arias' attorneys
didn't put on much of a case during the aggravation phase, offering no
witnesses and giving brief opening statements and closing arguments.
They said Alexander would have had so much adrenaline rushing through
his body that he might not have felt much pain.
The
only witness was the medical examiner who performed the autopsy and
explained to jurors how Alexander did not die calmly and fought for his
life as evidenced by the numerous defensive wounds on his body.
Minutes
after her first-degree murder conviction last Wednesday, Arias granted
an interview to Fox affiliate KSAZ, only adding to the circus-like
environment surrounding the trial that has become a cable TV sensation
with its graphic tales of sex, lies and violence.
"Longevity
runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural
life in one place," a tearful Arias said. "I believe death is the
ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get
it."
However, Arias cannot choose the death penalty. It's up to the jury to recommend a sentence.
Arias
acknowledged killing Alexander but said it was self-defense. She
initially denied any involvement, even proclaiming to a detective while
being interrogated in 2008: "I'm not guilty. I didn't hurt Travis. If I
hurt Travis, I would beg for the death penalty."
She later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she settled on self-defense.
