Arias jury deadlocked but must keep deliberating

Arias jury deadlocked but must keep deliberating

PHOENIX (AP) — Jurors in the Jodi Arias murder trial told the judge today they are unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether the convicted murderer should be sentenced to life in prison or death for killing her one-time boyfriend, prompting the judge to send them back to the deliberation room to work through their differences.

The jury reported its impasse after only about two and a half hours of deliberations that began Tuesday afternoon.

“I do not wish or intend to force a verdict,” Judge Sherry Stephens told the jurors before sending them back to continue their discussions. She instructed them to try to identify areas of agreement and disagreement as they work toward reaching a decision.

Under Arizona law, hung juries in the death penalty phase of trials require a new jury to be seated to decide the punishment. If the second jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, the judge would then sentence Arias to spend her entire life in prison or be eligible for release after 25 years.

Earlier Wednesday, jurors were summoned to the courtroom for a clarification of their instructions that was mistakenly not provided to the panel when they got the case.

Stephens had already explained that the jury’s decision, either life or death, would be final and wasn’t just a recommendation. But she failed to clarify that a life sentence could mean Arias would be eligible for release after 25 years or spend her remaining days behind bars, and that that decision would be up to the judge.

About an hour later, the jury informed the court it was unable to reach a decision.