Jodi Arias attorneys request change of venue

PHOENIX — Attorneys for convicted murder Jodi Arias have requested a change of venue, according to court documents.

In the request, her attorneys cite the massive amount of media coverage as the reason she would not be able to get a fair trial in Maricopa County. The defense claimed that 70 percent of all Arizona media coverage of the trial took place in Maricopa County.

Over 2,700 television and newspaper stories in Maricopa County alone were broadcast between the opening statements and the mistrial decision, court documents said.

Arias’ defense also has three other motions pending: One would ban all cameras in the courtroom, another would force jurors to give the court their Twitter information to make sure they are not discussing the case on the social media site and the last would give the defense unlimited time to question potential jurors before they are selected.

Arias is scheduled to return to court next month, when a judge is expected to set a retrial date for the sentencing phase of her trial. A jury was unable to reach a decision of life in prison or death in May.

Arias was found guilty in May of murdering her former boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in a trial that caught the attention of the nation and has led to several books and a Lifetime movie.