Jodi Arias Appeal

Lawyers are scheduled to make arguments Thursday before the Arizona Court of Appeals as Jodi Arias seeks to overturn her murder conviction in the 2008 death of her former boyfriend Travis Alexander.

Arias, who will not be in the courtroom during her appellate hearing, is serving a life sentence for her first-degree murder conviction in the death of Travis Alexander at his home in Mesa.

Prosecutors said Arias violently attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman. Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her.

The guilt phase of Arias’ trial ended in 2013 with jurors convicting her but deadlocking on punishment. A second sentencing trial ended in early 2015 with another jury deadlock, leading a judge to sentence Arias to prison for life.

The Arizona Court of Appeals agreed to consider how numerous allegations of misconduct against Maricopa County prosecutor Juan Martinez could overturn Arias’ conviction.

The Court of Appeals order in the Arias case stated that it will look at a series of issues concerning prosecutorial misconduct, including:

• Is Arias is entitled to a new trial if there was intentional prosecutorial misconduct, and would double jeopardy play a role?
• What factors are relevant in determining whether Arias was denied a fair trial based on prosecutorial misconduct? Does publicity around the trial affect the decision?
• Was she deprived of the ability to present her defense to the jury?
• If there was prosecutorial misconduct, did it contribute to her guilty verdict?
• Should the publicity outside the courtroom be considered when deciding if the atmosphere of the trial was “circus-like”? Can publicity outside the courtroom grant a reversal?

Juan Martinez, the prosecutor in the high-profile murder case, has recently faced ethics charges himself. However, some of those were recently dismissed, with a follow-up hearing set to take place sometime later this year.

World Justice News will show the Jodi Arias Appeal Hearing free. For the link to view the Jodi Arias Appeal Hearing please click here to see our daily schedule.