Who is Jodi Arias?

Jodi Arias

The name Jodi Arias became a popular name in our media houses four months ago.

It is a name of an American woman from Salinas, California. She was born on July 9, 1980.

But all these things couldn’t have given her name over a million web searches on Google in less than two days.

That’s right—

Like every other normal human, Arias got herself into a relationship. She met Travis Alexander in September 2006 at a Prepaid Legal Services conference, located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Travis Alexander, Arias ex-boyfriend

On November 26, 2006, Arias was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith by Alexander.  As of February 2, 2007, Alexander and Arias were a couple.  After the two broke up on June 29, 2007, Arias moved to Mesa, Arizona, until April 2008, at which time she moved to her grandparents' house in Yreka, California.

The name Jodi Arias first appeared in TV stations across US in 2008 when Alexander's body was discovered in a shower at his home in Mesa, Arizona. He died on June 4, 2008. Alexander's injuries consisted of multiple stab wounds, a slit throat, and a shot to the head; the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.

Series of investigation was carried out by the police which revealed that Arias contacted Alexander on phone hours before his death, and that she checked his voicemail messages after his death. A damaged camera belonging to Arias was also discovered. The camera contained pictures of Arias and Alexander in sexually suggested poses which was taken on June 4, 2008 before his death.

A bloody palm print was located in the bathroom hallway, which DNA revealed to be a mixture of Arias' and Alexander's DNA.

She was later arrested and in January 2, 2013, she was arraigned in Maricopa County Superior Court before Judge Sherry K. Stephens.

She took the stand on February 4, 2013 and on, February 6, she testified that she killed Alexander in self-defense and recounted an intimate encounter with Alexander that started with kissing and ended in anal sex, describing the anal sex as painful and adding, “It was not something I expected to happen, and I can't say I wanted it to, but I didn't stop him.”

Her trial was very dramatic.

The Prosecutor Juan Martinez sought the death penalty.

Arias was represented by appointed counsel L. Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott. Her counsel argued that Alexander's death was a justifiable homicide committed in self-defense.

As of March 29, 2013, 1.4 million dollars had been spent on providing public defenders for Arias.

On April 3, a member of the jury was dismissed for "misconduct". The defense team asked for a mistrial, which the judge denied. On April 12, "Juror 11" was excused for health reasons, leaving the jury with eleven men and six women A third juror was subsequently dismissed after he was arrested on a DUI offense during the course of the trial.

A defense expert diagnosed Arias with post-traumatic stress disorder, while a prosecution expert diagnosed Arias with borderline personality disorder.

On May 3, 2013, closing arguments concluded and the jury began deliberations. On May 8, 2013, after 15 hours of deliberation, Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder. Out of twelve jurors, five jurors found her guilty of first degree premeditated murder, and 7 jurors found her guilty of both first degree premeditated murder and felony murder.

With this conviction, she is eligible for the death penalty. The aggravation phase being the next phase of the trial of the trial was set to start on May 9, but was postponed until May 15, 2013.  In the aggravation phase, the jury will determine if there are "aggravating factors". If the jury's answer is no, the judge may sentence Arias to life with the possibility of parole after 25 year or life without the possibility of parole. If the jury's answer is yes, the trial will enter the penalty phase, after which the jury will determine whether Arias should be executed. If the jury does not unanimously agree on the death penalty, the judge will have the same two sentencing choices he had if the jury had found no aggravating factors.

The remorseful Arias spoke out about the verdict minutes after her conviction Wednesday, telling a TV station that she would "prefer to die sooner than later."

"Longevity runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place," a tearful Arias told Fox affiliate KSAZ. 

"I believe death is the ultimate freedom and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it."

Well, since you now know who Jodi Arias is and what she is charged with, you need to be glued on your TV on May 15, 2013.

If you believe she deserve pardon, pray for her. But if you don’t, then just hope “justice” takes its course.