Jodi Arias will appear in Arizona state court again on July 1st, 2014 for the second penalty phase of her murder trial. Arias was convicted of murdering her former boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2008.
The official Twitter account for Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, AZ, under the handle MC Superior Court, announced "Next court date in State v. #JodiArias is July 1st at 8:30 am.”
“State v Jodi Arias has begun. Judge Stephens set the next hearing for July 1. All other matters will be conducted in a closed proceeding,” the account read.
According to Radar Online, Arias’s attorneys are fighting to have cameras banned during the upcoming hearings. Arias was found guilty of stabbing, shooting, and slitting the throat of Alexander. During a second phase of the penalty phase, a new jury would be able to secure a death sentence.
If the death penalty doesn’t get a unanimous vote, judge Stephens would then be able to sentence Arias to life in prison or 25 years, writes Huffington Post.
The sentencing phase of the trial will begin on September 8, 2014.
AP Update: Arias returns to court ahead of September retrial
PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias has returned to an Arizona courtroom as attorneys prepare for a second penalty phase in her murder trial.
Friday’s hearing was closed to the public, including the media.
Arias was convicted last year in the 2008 killing of her lover, but jurors couldn’t reach a decision on a sentence.
Under state law, her murder conviction stands, but prosecutors have the option of putting on a second penalty phase with a new jury in an effort to secure a death sentence.
If the second panel fails to reach a unanimous decision, the death penalty will be removed from consideration. The judge then would sentence Arias to spend her life behind bars or be eligible for release after 25 years.
The second penalty phase is set for September.
