In September 2006, Jodi Arias met Travis Alexander at a business convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Right away, they became friends, and in November of that same year, Arias was baptized into Alexander’s church, the Mormon faith. A few months later, they started dating, but by the summer of 2007, they had broken up, and Alexander started dating other women. Around the same time, Alexander told his friends that he thought Arias was following him, but the two stayed friends despite their differences. Even after Arias moved to California, they kept in touch.
Travis Alexander was killed on June 4, 2008, in his home in Mesa, Arizona. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat cut, and had been shot in the face. Alexander was supposed to leave on June 10 for a trip to Cancun, Mexico. He was going to take his girlfriend Jodi Arias on the trip at first, but in April, he reportedly changed his mind and went with another woman, Mimi Hall.
Concerned friends went to Alexander’s house when he missed a conference call. They found pools of blood leading to his body in the shower. The 911 call showed that Arias was an ex-girlfriend of Alexander’s who had been following him. In May 2008, someone broke into Arias’ grandparents’ house in California, where she had been living. Prosecutors thought that Arias might have faked the break-in and killed Alexander with the gun she stole. Between June 4th, when Alexander died, and June 9th, when his body was found, Arias left a lot of messages on his voicemail. She did this to get away from the scene of the crime and to make it look like she cared about Alexander.
Investigators found Alexander’s broken digital camera at the scene of the crime. Eventually, they were able to find the pictures, which showed Arias and Alexander in sexually suggestive poses and had a time stamp of 1:40 p.m. on June 4, 2008. At 5:29 p.m., a picture of Alexander in the shower was taken, which was the last picture of him alive. Right after that, a picture of a bleeding person, most likely Alexander, was taken by accident. Investigators used the time stamps on the photos to figure out exactly when Alexander died. Investigators also found a bloody palm print in the hallway. The DNA on the print came from both Alexander and Arias.
Arias kept saying that the last time she saw Alexander was in April 2008, even though photos and DNA showed that she was in the house on the day of the murder. Later, she changed her story and said that she was in the house when two thieves broke in, attacked her and Alexander, and then killed Alexander.
Arias was charged with first-degree murder on July 9, 2008. On September 11, 2008, he pleaded not guilty. In January 2013, the case went to court. Arias was on the list of people who should be put to death. Arias said in court on February 6 that she killed Alexander in self-defense and that he had been abusive to her during their relationship. The jury came to a decision on May 8, 2013. Jodi Arias was found to have killed someone in the first degree. The jurors couldn’t agree on whether the murder was planned or not.
Experts have given Arias a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder because of her strange behaviour during the investigation.
The part of the trial where the jurors decide whether Arias should get the death penalty or life in prison started on May 16. Arias asked for the death penalty years ago, but on May 21, he asked for a life sentence instead. He was also put on suicide watch soon after he was found guilty. On May 23, the jury said that they couldn’t agree on a decision and that they were “hung.” The Huffington Post says that a new jury will be chosen to decide what will happen to Arias. This is set to happen on July 18. At this point, she could get the death penalty, life in prison, or be released after 25 years. The Jodi Arias case has been covered by many news outlets around the clock, and it has sparked new interest in the justice system.