Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder; death penalty possible

[aggiesal]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- After months of twists and turns in a dramatic trial rife with sex, lies and digital images, an Arizona jury Wednesday found Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander.

Jurors will return to court Thursday for the aggravation phase of the trial -- an important step in the next key decision they face: determining whether Arias lives or dies.

"Now the odds, I think shift somewhat in her favor, because it's a very different thing to sentence someone to die than to convict them," CNN senior legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said.



Arias was stoic in court Wednesday. Her eyes briefly welled up with tears as a clerk announced that the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder for killing Alexander in June 2008.

What's next for Arias

Alexander's sisters cried and consoled each other after the verdict was read in the packed courtroom.

Crowds outside the courthouse erupted in cheers as news of the jury's decision spread.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/justice/arizona-jodi-arias-verdict/index.html

---

I think the jury may have got this one right.
Maybe they're not all that crazy in Arizona?

Wait, my brother lives in Arizona!

[marble falls]

1. I don't know how it could have gone any other way. Her antics ill served her in the end.

[ChazII]

2. We do have some sane folks here in Arizona.

Let's keep our finger crossed that this jury continues to call it correctly. There is talk that her team needs to make her look more soft and feminine in regards to remarks like this:

"Now the odds, I think shift somewhat in her favor, because it's a very different thing to sentence someone to die than to convict them," CNN senior legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said.

The remarks about making her look more soft came on our local ABC affiliate.

[rocktivity]

7. Jodi in her "softer" days

From what I saw of Jodi, it was her demeanor that did her in -- too pathetic in the presence of her lawyer, too aggressive with the defense. The jury probably felt that she was trying to "trick roll" them.


rocktivity

[jessie04]

3. How do you...

stab someone 26 times..
shoot someone 3 times....
change your story 3 times...

and claim it was an accident and she didnt know what she was doing ?


She figured her looks would get her off.

[aggiesal]

5. Bath Salts! n/t

[rocktivity]

6. I've always called it "bimbo-sity"

The belief that you can be too sexy to be held accountable for ANYTHING.

On edit:

"I said years ago that I'd rather get death than life, and that still is true today," she told Phoenix television station KSAZ. "I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I'd rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it."

As Cenk "The Human Typo" Ugyr would say, "OF COURRRRRSE she wants the death penalty!" Forcing her live would therefore REALLY punish her, wouldn't it? Let the bimbosity continue!


rocktivity

[onehandle]

4. She seems like a low key Sarah Palin, but with a brain from the little video I've seen of her

No idea if she's a murderer or a victim. I know nothing about the case.

But I do wonder what Sarah Palin is hiding. Palin is creepy. What's in her basement? Why all of the building on her property?

[freshwest]

8. Probably building a high rise so she can see England.

[ChazII]

9. Or Mexico

since Jodi is a guest of Arizona.

[Tx4obama]

10. Penalty phase of the trial starts at 4pm ET today.

Arias case likely far from over even after verdict

-snip-

The trial will now move into a phase during which prosecutors will argue the killing was committed in an especially cruel, heinous and depraved manner, called the "aggravation" phase. Both sides may call witnesses and show evidence during a mini trial of sorts. The jurors are the same and will reconvene at 1 p.m. Thursday.

There are two options for the jury:

OPTION 1:

The panel doesn't find the presence of aggravating factors. In this case, the judge dismisses them and sentences Arias to either the rest of her life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

OPTION 2:

The jurors find there were aggravating factors, and the case moves into a penalty phase. The same jury decides whether Arias should be executed or get life in prison. This portion of the case could go on for several weeks, and additional witnesses could be called by both sides. If jurors don't reach a unanimous agreement on the death penalty, the judge sentences Arias to either the rest of her life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

Full article here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOYFRIEND_SLAYING_WHATS_NEXT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-05-08-23-47-19

Here is peek at HLN's Beth Karas' reporters notebook. She details what to expect from the aggravation phase:

Prosecutor Juan Martinez’s opening statement
Defense’s opening statement (if they choose)
Martinez puts on evidence: Dr. Kevin Horn (medical examiner)
Defense puts on evidence, if they choose. (This is not expected.)
Instruction on the law by Judge Sherry Stephens
Martinez’s closing argument
Defense’s closing argument
Martinez’s rebuttal closing
Jury deliberates. They must decide if the aggravator of cruelty was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Jury's decision is a verdict.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/09/live-blog-was-jodi-arias-cruel

[Tx4obama]

11. They just said on HLN that she will appear in court in regular clothes, not prison garb. n/t