Judge in Arias case delays decision on next move

Judge in Arias case delays decision on next move

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge delayed a decision today on the next step for the murder trial of Jodi Arias, who made her first court appearance since the jury was unable to reach a decision last month on punishment for killing her boyfriend.

A shackled Arias walked into court escorted by several jail officers and briefly sat at the defense table as lawyers met privately in the chambers of Judge Sherry Stephens. The judge scheduled another hearing for July 18, the date a new penalty phase had been tentatively scheduled to start.

The proceeding lacked the sizzle of the five-month trial that attracted a global following and had spectators waiting in line in the middle of the night to get a coveted seat in the courtroom. Today, the courtroom was about two-thirds full, the hearing was not televised, and there were no arguments in open court.

Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder on May 8 in the June 2008 stabbing and shooting death of boyfriend Travis Alexander at his suburban Phoenix home. About two weeks later, the same jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence Arias to life in prison or death.

While the murder conviction will stand, a new penalty phase must occur to decide Arias’ punishment. It will be a mini-trial of sorts to get a fresh jury up to speed on the case. Jury selection alone could take weeks, given the difficulty of seating an impartial panel in the high-profile case.

Prosecutors have the option of taking the death penalty off the table, and Stephens would then sentence Arias to one of two punishments: life in prison or the more unlikely life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

If prosecutors do pursue death, a new panel must be seated to determine a sentence. If another deadlock occurs, the death penalty would automatically be removed, leaving the judge to sentence Arias to one of the life-in-prison options.