Convicted murderer Jodi Arias was sentenced to a life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday in the 2008 shooting and stabbing death of her lover.
The decision by Judge Sherry Stephens was largely a formality after a jury deadlocked last month on whether to give Arias, 34, the death penalty or life in prison.
The mistrial removed death as an option.
The only decision that remained was whether the judge would allow Arias to be eligible for release after 25 years. She declined to do that — meaning that the world-famous Arias will spend the rest of her years behind bars.
The case became an international obsession. Arias was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander by shooting him and then stabbing him nearly 30 times in his home outside of Phoenix.
In the trial that followed, prosecutors argued she killed Alexander in a jealous rage, while Arias' lawyers said she acted in self-defense.
Her lawyer argued Monday that the facts of Arias' case "not as gruesome not as bad when you compare it to others in Maricopa County" in which defendants received the possibility of parole.
"To this day I can’t believe that I was capable of doing something that terrible," Arias said Monday.
Stephens said Arias' expression of remorse, lack of criminal history and mental health issues worked in her favor, but "the crime was especially cruel" and "involved substantial planning and preparation." She said Arias had 20 days to appeal the sentence.
Alexander's sister, Samantha Alexander, called Arias a "monster" during her testimony Monday, noting that she had the option of addressing her brother's killer but "wouldn’t waste my time addressing her because she isn’t worth my breath."
IN-DEPTH
- Jodi Arias Escapes Death Penalty in Killing of Lover in 2008
- Jury Unable to Reach Decision in Jodi Arias Sentencing
- Jodi Arias Trial: Unwanted Lawyer Ordered to Stay on Case
— Elisha Fieldstadt
