Potential Jodi Arias jurors dismissed in droves
PHOENIX — It might have been an omen that nearly every prospective juror in the courtroom raised a hand when the judge asked if they knew who Jodi Arias was.
On Monday, 300 of them filed into the Maricopa County courtroom where Arias will be sentenced to life or death for the 2008 murder of her lover, Travis Alexander. By the end of the day, only 133 remained.
Some had work conflicts, many said they were not willing to give up TV news and newspapers for the duration of the trial. A few told the judge that they didn't speak English — in English, or elementary Spanish.
Nearly one-quarter of the prospective jurors so far said they just could not be impartial given what they know about Jodi Arias.
"I think I've heard too much and wouldn't be impartial in the courtroom," one of them told Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens.
"I'm just sick and tired of hearing about it," said another. "I don't want to go through it again."
Another 100 people from the jury pool will be questioned on Wednesday. Those who do not have conflicts, hardship or made-up minds will fill out questionnaires that the attorneys will cull through.
They will be questioned in person starting around Oct. 6, and by Oct. 20, when opening statements are supposed to take place, the panel will have been whittled down to 16 to 18 — of whom 12 will make the final decision.
This is the extent to which the court must go to try to get justice for Arias and Alexander.
Arias, 34, was found guilty of first-degree murder in May 2013 after a tumultuous and salacious trial that was streamed live over the Internet and flogged through social media.
Alexander, 30, was found dead in the shower of his Mesa home with a bullet in his head, a slit throat and nearly 30 stab wounds. Arias admitted to killing him, but claimed it was in self-defense.
The jurors did not believe her. They found that the murder had been committed in an especially cruel manner, qualifying Arias for the death penalty, though they could not agree whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or sent to death row.
But the guilty verdict stands, and so does the finding of the cruelty aggravator. The new jury will only consider whether Arias is sent to life in prison or to death row. The trial is expected to last until Dec. 18.