Jodi Arias faces possibility of death as penalty phase begins

PHOENIX — Jodi Arias returns to court for the final phase of her trial as the same jury that convicted her of first-degree murder last week now weighs whether the former waitress should be sentenced to life in prison or death.

Jurors on Wednesday took less than three hours to determine that Arias should be eligible for the death penalty in the killing of her former lover after prosecutors proved the murder was especially cruel and heinous.

Arias, 32, acknowledged killing Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008, at his suburban Phoenix home after a day of sex. She initially denied any involvement, but then later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she settled on self-defense.

On Thursday, the penalty phase of her trial begins, during which 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 probably 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. The victim suffered 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 had to determine whether 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.

Alexander’s family members sobbed in the front row Wednesday as prosecutor Juan Martinez took the jury through the killing one more time. 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.”

Arias appeared to fight back tears most of the morning, but showed no emotion at the verdict.

Arias’ attorneys didn’t put forth 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.

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