Jodi Arias Sentenced To Life For Travis Alexander's Murder

Jodi Arias, the vengeful ex-girlfriend of Travis Alexander who brutally took his life nearly eight years ago, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Arias, 34, will spend the remainder of her life behind bars, without the possibility of parole, judge Sherry Stephens decided Monday.

The bespectacled murderess was convicted of first-degree murder in May 2013 for Alexander's death. However, the same panel of jurors that convicted her was deadlocked over whether to spare her life or give her the death penalty.

The indecision by the trial jury prompted a penalty phase retrial, which began in September 2014 and again ended in a hung jury after 26 hours of deliberations.

Under Arizona law, the prosecution was not allowed to present the case to a third jury. As a result, Stephens was tasked with deciding whether to put Arias in prison for life or make her eligible for parole in 25 years. The judge did not have the option of sentencing Arias to death.

Arias has been behind bars since her 2008 arrest.

Arias initially denied any involvement in killing Alexander, whose body was discovered June 4, 2008, in his Mesa, Arizona, home. Alexander, 30, had been shot in the head and stabbed nearly 30 times. His throat had been cut from ear to ear. When DNA proved she was lying, Arias changed her story, claiming there had been a home invasion by two unknown killers. It was not until years later that she admitted to killing Alexander.

Throughout the trial, Arias' lawyers attacked Alexander’s character in an attempt to show he was a violent womanizer. They claimed Arias killed Alexander in self-defense during an argument over a dropped camera that followed his escalating sexual demands.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez balked at the defense team's allegations, which were never corroborated. He alleged Arias was left scorned when Alexander broke up with her.

"She's the one that used the knife," Martinez said during the penalty retrial. "She's the one that used the gun."

Arias will serve her sentence at Perryville Prison near Goodyear, Arizona.

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