Member of Arias’ defense is allowed in county jails again
A member of Jodi Arias’ legal defense team who was banned from visiting her clients in Maricopa County jails has been reinstated.
Maria De La Rosa, a mitigation specialist, works for Arias’ attorneys and other attorneys gathering information that may persuade a jury not to the impose the death penalty against defendants. She was accused of trying to smuggle contraband out of the Estrella jail after a visit with Arias.
The “contraband” was a pencil drawing of a pinwheel that Arias wanted to include in her file with other pieces of her artwork.
After De La Rosa’s attorney and Arias’ attorneys met by teleconference on Wednesday with county attorney and sheriff’s representatives, the ban was lifted, but neither side entirely backed down from its version of events.
De La Rosa’s attorney, Dan Raynak, said, “They admitted it wasn’t contraband.”
But Deputy Chief Jack MacIntyre said, “Ms. DeLaRosa was less than forthcoming about taking something out with her.”
Arias has been convicted of the brutal 2008 murder of her lover Travis Alexander. But the jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether she should be sentenced to death. A second jury will be picked starting Sept. 8 to make that decision.
According to a motion filed Sunday by Arias attorney Jennifer Willmott, sheriff’s detention officers searched Arias’ jail cell in the week before the contested visit by De La Rosa. The drawing was in her cell.
De La Rosa met with Arias on Feb. 26, according to the motion, and Arias gave a sealed envelope to De La Rosa to deliver to Willmott.
As De La Rosa left the jail, detention officers took the pencil drawing from an envelope classified as legal papers.
On March 14, sheriff’s detectives handed De La Rosa a letter that said, “As a result of your actions, you are banned from all MCSO Jails.”
A jail disciplinary action report was issued on Arias.
In her motion, Willmott claimed that cutting Arias off from her mitigation specialist was a violation of her right to legal counsel.
A judge ordered the parties to come to a resolution.
That resolution, like many rulings in the Arias case, was filed under seal.