Arizona Appeals Court Upholds First Degree Murder Conviction Of Jodi Arias

The Arizona Court of Appeals recently upheld Jodi Arias, first-degree murder conviction, and the subsequent life sentence given. She was found guilty of murdering her boyfriend in 2008.

Her legal team argued that the misconduct of the prosecutor and the judge’s failure to control the media coverage surrounding the case made it hard for her to get the fair trial that she deserved.

However, the appeals court in a 29-page opinion unanimously decided that the prosecutor, Juan Martinez, behavior in the case did not outweigh the guilt of Arias.

The courts did note there was an egregious case of misconduct on the part of prosecutor Martinez, even if he was highly experienced. They also admitted that he did engage in self-promoting activities that damaged the prosecution.

The panel particularly condemned the argumentative phrasing of the questions to the defense witnesses, stating that his tone and behavior were some recurring problems in the trial. Arias’ defense team motioned for a mistrial several times, but they were not successful.

The case against Arias entailed her killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander at his home in Mesa, Phoenix. The prosecution claimed that she violently attacked him in a fit of rage after he decided to end their relationship and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.

She did admit to killing him, but Arias added that it was in self-defense after he came at her. She stabbed him nearly 30 times. His throat was also slit, and he had a gunshot wound to the head.

The case warranted attention from all media outlets considering the violent details of the murder. It was also widely discussed on social media with a lot of opposing points of view.

Some were of the view that she did deserve clemency on the belief that it was a crime of passion at worst and self-defense at best.

Others supported punishment to the full extent of the law considering the number of stab wounds and the gunshot. They indicated that such a violent act was intentional.

Arias was convicted of murder in 2013, but there was a deadlock on the punishment. There was another sentencing trial that happened in 2015, and the jury reached another impasse concerning the sentence.

The judge then opted to sentence her to life in prison.

The prosecution attorney, Martinez, has yet to return a call for comment concerning the court ruling to dismiss the appeal.