A Jodi Arias’ death penalty decision may be closer after a stunning trial and jury deliberation over the convicted killer’s possible fate.
Weighing Jodi Arias’ death penalty vs. prison in the trial’s ultimate outcome is the legal saga’s latest phase, and a perhaps shocking decision has been reached by the jury in the ongoing case. Arias was found by the jurors to have acted cruelly in the killing of Travis Alexander — who was brutally murdered in his home back in June of 2008.
Now that Arias’ death penalty eligibility has been decided by jurors, the next phase of sentencing — the ultimate decision to sentence Jodi Arias to death — can be made in the case.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez argued forcefully for Arias’ death penalty eligibility, describing Travis Alexander’s presumable last moments as he fought for life after having been stabbed numerous times by his assailant :
“The last thing he saw before he lapsed into unconsciousness… was that blade coming to his throat. And the last thing he felt before he left this earth was pain.”
Arias’ death penalty decision was one that, immediately following last week’s verdict, seemed to be one favored by the convicted killer herself.
After the conviction was handed down, Arias said tearfully:
“Longevity runs in my family, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place… I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I’d rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it.”
One Twitter account dedicated to advocating for Alexander tweeted that (perhaps indicating Arias would see her wish fulfilled) that the jury did not deliberate very long before reaching the decision:
After deliberating for an hour and 33 minutes, an Arizona jury has found Jodi Arias guilty of being “especially… fb.me/V0cy6jMe
— Justice4Travis(@Justice4TravisA) May 15, 2013
As jurors conclude the aggravation phase and settle upon Arias’ death penalty eligibility, friends and family of Alexander will speak to make a case for executing his killer.
