Jury reaches verdict in Jodi Arias penalty phase retrial
Mar 5, 2015, 8:47 AM | Updated: 8:48 am
PHOENIX — A verdict has been reached in the Jodi Arias penalty phase retrial.
The verdict was expected to be read within the hour Thursday morning.
The jury has reached a verdict. It will be read at 9:30am. #jodiarias
— MC Superior Court (@courtpio) March 5, 2015
Arias could be sentenced to death or life in prison. If the jury spares her, Judge Sherry Stephens will rule on the possibility of parole.
The jury deliberated for five days after being handed the case last Wednesday.
Arias was found guilty nearly two years ago in the 2008 killing her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander.
During the retrial, there were numerous speed bumps. Five jurors were excused, Judge Sherry Stephens forced the media to leave the courtroom while Arias testified and numerous sidebars brought the trial to a crawl.
Arias changed her stories several times throughout the investigation and murder trial. Initially, she denied involvement before changing her story two years later, saying she killed Alexander because he attacked her after sex.