Who Is Jodi Arias & What Did She Do?
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Now a convicted murderer, Jodi Arias was an aspiring photographer before murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2008. According to People Magazine, police found Alexander dead in his home in Mesa, Arizona, on June 9. All evidence from the gory crime scene, including bloody handprints and pictures in a camera, linked Arias to the murder.
The outlet reported that Arias initially denied being at Aleaxander’s house on the day of the murder. However, she later admitted to being there, having sex with the victim, and taking pictures in the shower when masked intruders attacked them. But investigators believed she stabbed her ex multiple times, slit his throat, and shot him in the head. They arrested the suspect and charged her with first-degree murder.
During her trial, Jodi Arias alleged that she killed Alexander in self-defense. She said the latter attacked her when she dropped his new camera. The defendant claimed that she could not recall the stabbing. The case resulted in Arias’ conviction and caused a media frenzy as one of the most spectacular trials in US history.
Several documentaries, such as Jodi Arias: An American Murder Mystery, and true-crime shows have chronicled the case. Dateline NBC has also previously aired an episode covering Arias’ crimes.
When was Jodi Arias convicted of Travis Alexander’s murder?
People Magazine reported that Jodi Arias was behind bars for over four years before her sensational trial began in January 2013. As mentioned above, Arias had previously denied being at Travis Alexander’s house on the day of the murder, reported ABC News. However, evidence found at the scene, such as bloody handprints and timestamped pictures on a camera, linked her to the crime. Authorities also learned that a .25-caliber gun missing from her grandparents’ house matched the caliber of a bullet casing they found at the scene.
Later, Arias admitted that she was at Alexander’s house and that they had sex. According to her story, she was taking photographs of him in the shower when two masked intruders attacked them. Authorities had refused to believe her story and charged her with murder, leading to a trial four years later. But in a shocking turn of events, she would change her story while taking the witness stand.
During the trial, Jodi Arias alleged that Alexander had abused her physically and emotionally, reported The Arizona Republic. The defendant claimed that on the day of the murder, she was taking pictures of Travis Alexander in the shower. She alleged that the latter slammed her on the floor when she dropped his expensive new camera. Arias said she shot him in the head in self-defense when he tried to attack her again. However, Arias could not recall stabbing the victim or slashing his throat.
A jury eventually convicted 34-year-old Arias of first-degree murder on May 8, 2023, after a months-long trial. However, the same jury failed to decide whether to hand her the death penalty or not, causing a mistrial. Then, in October 2014, a second jury failed to settle on a sentence, ending up deadlocked. Since the state law prohibited Arias from standing trial again, she received a life sentence without the possibility of parole instead in April 2015.
Per The Arizona Republic and People Magazine, Jodi Arias is now serving her sentence in the Perryville state women’s prison in Goodyear, Arizona.
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