Jodi Arias Biography
Jodi Arias is an American citizen who made national headlines after being charged with the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in June 2008. Her prosecution attracted substantial coverage from the national media and has been viewed by many as an example of a media trial and a media circus.
How old is Jodi Arias? – Age
She is 41 years old as of 9, July 2021. She was born Jodi Ann Arias on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California.
Who are Jodi Arias’s parents? – Family
She is the daughter of Bill Arias and Sandy Arias. She has four siblings; two sisters and two brothers whose identity is not revealed.
Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander
Arias’s boyfriend Travis Alexander was a motivational speaker and insurance salesman who attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The couple’s journey began after they met at a conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2006, while living in Arizona and living in Palm Desert, California. They became a married couple by the next year. After just five months as a couple, however, the two had gone their separate ways at the end of June 2007 but still had a sexual relationship.
Travis Alexanders Death
Alexander’s body was found in his home in a bathtub. His throat had been cut; he had also been shot in the head and stabbed numerous times. There has been contradictory information about the number of stab wounds, with some reports reporting 29, many saying 27 and “more than 20” after the trial. Maricopa County Medical Examiner, Dr. Kevin Horn, testified that Alexander’s jugular vein, common carotid artery, and windpipe had been diminished. Alexander’s hands had protective wounds, too. Horn also testified that Alexander may have been dead at the time of the gunshot, which was condemned as a crime.
What was Jodi Arias diagnosed with?
Psychologist Richard Samuels testified for the prosecution for about six days. He said that Arias was likely to suffer from intense stress at the time of the assassination, sending her body to a “fight or flight” state to protect herself. Psychologist Alyce LaViolette, a psychotherapist specializing in domestic violence, testified that Arias was a survivor of domestic assault. Professional psychologist Janeen DeMarte, for prosecutors, said there was no proof that Alexander had abused Arias and no evidence of PTSD or amnesia in Arias. Arias believed that complete memory loss over extended periods of time was compatible with traumatic PTSD-associated amnesia, which presents as much shorter memory gaps.
De Marte said Ari was suffering from a borderline personality disorder, displaying symptoms of immaturity and a “unstable sense of identity” Defense said all the tests Arias had undergone before her detention showed an anxiety disorder related to trauma.
Jodi Arias Murder Investigation
At the beginning of 2008, Alexander told people that Arias would accompany him on a work-related trip to Cancún, Mexico, scheduled for 15 June. In April, Alexander requested another female friend to change his travel partner. On May 28, a burglary occurred at the home of the grandparents of Arias, with whom Arias lived. Among the lost items, there was a.25-caliber automatic Colt pistol that had never been found. A.25-caliber shell case was discovered near Alexander’s body at the crime scene. Arias met friends in Southern California on her way to Utah for a PPL job conference and a meeting with Ryan Burns, a co-worker. Several times, she called Alexander and left a few voicemail messages for him. She returned a vehicle that had been driven nearly 2,800 miles (4,500 km) with red stains on the front and rear seats. She missed an important phone call on the evening of June 4, and the next day Arias visited Burns in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah, and held business meetings. On June 9, 2008, a group of friends went to the home of Alexander’s roommates, who thought he was out of town. They found blood pools in the corridor to the master bathroom, where his body was discovered in the tub.
In a 9-1-1 call, the friends pointed to Arias as a potential suspect. Arias was charged in July 2008 with the first-degree murder of Alexander. She pled not guilty on 11 September 2009. Two years after her conviction, Arias told the police that she had killed Alexander in self-defense, saying that she had been a survivor of domestic abuse. She later told the police that two intruders had broken into Alexander’s house, killed him, and raped her. She was arrested six days later at her home and extradited to Arizona on 5 September 2009 and charged with murder. Since then, she has changed her story many times, saying that she killed him in self-defense.
Jodi Arias Trial and Judgement
A request to review the defendant’s motion to disqualify the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office was rejected on 6 April 2009. On May 18, Arias was ordered by the court to apply to IQ and competency examinations. In January 2011, the defense filed extensive Arias’s attempts to procure text messages and e-mails. The trial began at the Supreme Court of Maricopa County before Judge Sherry K. Stephens. The initial screening of the jurors began on December 10, 2012. Defense counsel argued that the indictment was “systematically excluding” women and African-Americans.
Arias was served by the designated L. counsel. Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott, who argued that Alexander’s death was a justifiable murder committed in self-defense. Arias took a stand in her own defense on 4 February 2013 and testified for a total of 18 days. The amount of time Arias spent at the stand was characterized by criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos as “unprecedented” Arias confessed to being violently assaulted by her parents, starting when she was around seven years old. She also testified that Alexander had unconsciously considered teenage boys and girls sexually appealing, and that she was attempting to assist him with these desires.
A phone sex tape was played in which Alexander said he wanted to tie Arias to a tree and have anal sex with her while she was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, which Arias seemed to be answering enthusiastically. Forensic analysts testified that no traces of obscene content had been identified by Alexander’s computer analysis. Arias testified that her relationship with Alexander had been increasingly physically and verbally violent. According to Arias, the instability of their relationship reached its climax when she killed him in self-defense after he got furious when she lost his camera. Arias made remarks in a September 2008 interview with Inside Edition, a syndicated television show that had been played earlier in the courtroom. Arias was initially combative and flippant, but after a few days, she confessed to stabbing and killing Alexander amid her earlier reports of a loss in her memory.
The prosecutor called Walmart employee Amanda Webb, an employee of Walmart alone in Salinas, to the stand. Webb said that according to Walmart’s documents, no one returned a five-gallon gas on that day, and Arias returned the gas a week later than June 3.
Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder on 7 May 2013 after 15 hours of deliberation. As of April 25, defense expenditures had hit almost $1.7 million, borne by taxpayers. Out of twelve jurors, five jurors found her guilty of premeditated murder, and seven jurors found Arias guilty of both premeditation and felony murder. When the verdict of guilt was read, Alexander’s family laughed and embraced each other. Arias’ legal counsel called for a mistrial, which the court had refused.
Where is Jodi Arias now in 2020? – Is Jodi Arias still on death row?
Arias continues to serve life without the possibility of parole. She’s been transferred a little through the Arizona prison system. Jodi started at the Arizona State Prison Complex, where leaked tapes showed she was seemingly having a lot of love behind bars. Present records say that she was in Perryville Prison in Goodyear, Arizona, as of January 2020.