Arias murder trial coming to an end
Prosecutor says she ‘lies at every turn,’ while defense is scheduled to close today
PHOENIX — The prosecutor pounded his hand on the table to make his point and alternated between a loud demeanor and a soft-spoken, cordial tone as he called Jodi Arias a manipulative liar and displayed bloody crime-scene photos in the courtroom.
The images were too much to watch for Arias and family members of victim Travis Alexander. They sobbed, buried their hands in their face or otherwise looked away as the photos were displayed on a giant screen.
“This was a strike to kill, right at the neck,” Juan Martinez said.
Arias, 32, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 stabbing and shooting death of Alexander, her on-and-off-again boyfriend, in a case that has become a tabloid and cable TV sensation. If convicted on that charge, she could get a death sentence, but jurors could find her guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter, which would save her life but put her in prison.
Authorities say Arias planned the attack on Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their relationship and prepared for a trip to Mexico with another woman. Arias initially denied any involvement in the killing then later blamed it on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she said she killed him in self-defense. Her lawyers will present their closing arguments today.
“This is an individual who will stop at nothing, and who will continue to be manipulative and will lie at every turn,” Martinez said.
Arias’ demeanor changed as the day went on. She began the day unemotionally scribbling notes with a pencil, even flashing a smirk as the prosecutor described her apparently faking an orgasm on a phone sex chat with her former lover, and gently shook her head on another occasion. But once Martinez got to the photos, she was in tears.
Alexander’s sisters and other family members cried at various points, dabbing their tears with tissues.
“It’s like a field of lies that has sprouted up around her as she sat on the witness stand,” Martinez said of Arias, who previously spent 18 days testifying. “Every time she spat something out, another lie.”
The trial has attracted a global following with its tales of sex, betrayal, violence and religion, and people from all around the country have traveled to Phoenix to see the case in person. On Thursday, people lined up at 2 a.m. to get a seat in the courtroom through a lottery. Only two rows in the gallery were available for the public.
The judge earlier provided instructions to jurors that allowed them to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter, along with first-degree and seconddegree murder. That means the jury will essentially have four choices: firstdegree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter or acquittal.
A first-degree conviction could lead to a death sentence and requires the jury to believe it was a premeditated act. The basic standard for second-degree murder is that the defendant intentionally caused the death of another person, largely in the heat of the moment without prior planning.