Life or death for Jodi Arias comes down to days
May 15, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — Jurors returned to court in Phoenix Wednesday morning to begin the process of deciding whether Jodi Arias will spend life behind bars or be executed after her conviction last week for the first-degree murder of Travis Alexander.
After a trial that lasted over four months, Criminal Defense Attorney Mike Black said it should take jurors only a day or two to determine if Arias meets aggravating factors that would merit the death penalty. If they find the murder was committed in a cruel fashion, it should then take five to days for jurors to hand over either a life in prison or death sentence.
Black said a number of people will testify but it’s unlikely that Arias will be among them because there’s nothing she can add.
“There’s nothing more she can add to 18 days of testimony that the jury hasn’t already heard,” he said. “Remaining quiet could be the best opportunity she has to beat the death penalty.”
The Alexander and Arias families did not speak during the trial, but Black thinks they may speak in court over the next few days.
The case has drawn tremendous attention worldwide because of Arias’ lurid details of their relationship that consumed almost three weeks of the trial.
