PHOENIX (AP) – Lawyers in the Jodi Arias sentencing retrial are scheduled to make closing arguments Tuesday on whether the convicted murderer should receive life in prison or be executed for the 2008 killing of her former boyfriend.
Arias was convicted in 2013 of murdering Travis Alexander, but jurors deadlocked on her sentence. A new jury that has been hearing testimony over the last four months will decide only her punishment.
Prosecutors said Arias attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman. Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her.
The retrial revealed few new details about the crime and was more subdued than Arias’ first trial, which turned into a media circus as salacious and violent details about Arias and Alexander were broadcast live around the world. At the retrial, the judge barred the broadcast of footage from the proceedings until after a verdict is reached.
The new penalty phase also was marked by a judge’s decision to kick the public out of the courtroom for the testimony of a then-unspecified witness, who cited personal safety concerns about testifying in a public setting.