Jodi Arias Update: Prosecutor During Murder Trial Placed On Paid Administrative Leave

On Tuesday, it was announced that Juan Martinez had been placed on paid administrative leave. Martinez is best known for acting as the prosecutor during Jodi Arias' 2013 murder trial regarding the death of Travis Alexander in 2008. Ultimately, she was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Now, new questions have emerged regarding Martinez vacating his position.

According to Phoenix New Times, Jennifer Liewer, who is serving as a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, revealed the decision. However, she then added that they "currently have no further comment on this personnel matter at this time." As stated by the outlet, an anonymous tip had suggested that Martinez had been fired, but that claim has yet to be substantiated.

The prosecutor's leave follows a string of misconduct allegations that could seemingly lead to Arias receiving a new trial. Previously, various reports surfaced that Martinez had provided certain pieces of information to bloggers during the 2013 trial, had made inappropriate comments to a Maricopa County Superior Court employee, and had provided false testimony.

Following the potential for Arias to get another trial, attorneys for both sides were given 30 minutes to make their case and answer any questions from the presiding judge. Questions that could have been addressed included how the public perception may have affected the trial and seeing if a precedent exists for such a situation. However, it remains unclear what actually transpired at that specific court date.

Aside from the aforementioned events, Arias has continued to stay in the news following her conviction. Not only have there been new interviews with Alexander's friends, where they discussed Arias' "fatal attraction" and previous warnings that they had given Alexander, but other reports have surfaced regarding how she had planned to celebrate Christmas while behind bars in 2019. It has also been said that she continues to receive visits from her boyfriend while fulfilling her sentence.

As for Martinez, a disciplinary hearing is scheduled for April. Currently, he faces a variety of potential disciplinary punishments, including losing his license.