Alexander's friends immediately told police they should investigate her. They called his relationship with her a "fatal attraction. According to Dr. Kevin Horn, of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner office, Alexander's stab wounds were inflicted with major force and his cause of death was excessive blood loss. He had multiple self-defense wounds to his palms and fingers.
Police also found a digital camera in the washing machine with time-stamped images of Alexander and Arias in sexually suggestive poses and one of her reflection in his eyes in the moments before she killed him. Ten days after Alexander's body was discovered, police questioned Arias about the murder. Arias originally told police she wasn't in Mesa when the murder occurred, claiming she last saw Alexander in March of She changed her story in September, and told various media outlets that two masked intruders attacked her and killed Alexander.
Two years after her initial arrest, Arias took back her account of the "home invasion. She wanted everyone to believe that he was as amazing as they thought he was My sister is innocent of the crime they are accusing her of She did kill Travis but it was not in cold blood, it was not for revenge, it was because she was afraid for her life.
In August , Arias was granted a request by a judge to represent herself, as long as her public defenders stayed on as advisory counsel. But the judge reinstated her defense counsel after it turned out letters from Alexander, which Arias requested be admitted, were forgeries.
Another surprising move in the trial, in February , Arias took the witness stand in her own defense, sticking to her third story of self-defense.
And in April, juror Meliha Omanovic was dismissed after the defense claimed she'd made prejudicial comments, according to Arizona Republic. Two other jurors were later dismissed. In May , Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder, but the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence her to death. On October 21, , a retrial began, with jurors hearing the same evidence.
A judge declared a mistrial on March 5, , saying jurors could, again, not reach a consensus. Arias is currently at Arizona State Prison Complex and will spend the rest of her life in prison. In a phone call with rapper "Lefty" Williams who made a music video about her, above , Arias detailed how much "love" she receives behind bars. The images are just the latest pieces of bizarre evidence in the trial that is already being compared to the dramatic murder trial of Casey Anthony.
Arias, a photographer who dated Alexander for nearly five months in , has pleaded not-guilty to first degree murder. If convicted, she could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row. She originally claimed she had not seen Alexander the day of his murder, before claiming she had seen two men kill him, before eventually saying that she killed him out of self defense.
At the trial, defense attorneys have painted a picture of Alexander as an abusive, manipulative boyfriend who made Arias wear a t-shirt reading: 'Travis Alexander's'. As part of their strategy, Arias' lawyers told jurors that the 'sex-crazed and abusive' Alexander made Arias clean his house while wearing a French maid's outfit, ABC15 reported.
Flores also testified that the communique included the devout Mormon writing to Arias: 'I think I was little more than a dildo with a heartbeat to you. Motive: The prosecution claim Arias flew into a jealous rage after learning he wanted to date another woman. On Thursday, jurors heard testimony from Flores and a recording of a conversation he had with Arias in June On the call, Arias denied being involved in the death and calmly told the detective that she had not seen Alexander in two months.
According to Flores, the defendant told him during questioning that she and Alexander were so distrustful of each other that they shared their Facebook, MySpace and Gmail passwords in a failed bid to patch up their unraveling relationship, ABC News reported. Visualization: Prosecutor Juan Martinez points to his neck showing the jury where Travis Alexander had his neck slit by a knife.
Jennifer Willmott, an attorney for Arias, told jurors her client acted in self-defense after Alexander 'lunged at Jodi in anger' in his suburban Mesa home after she dropped his new camera. He knocked her to the ground in the bathroom where there was a struggle,' Willmott said.
Yet prosecutors argue Arias was a jealous woman who brutally attacked Alexander after he tried to end their relationship. Alexander had told friends Arias had become too possessive and was acting like a stalker, so he ended their relationship to see other women. But phone and email records indicate the pair continued to carry on a sexual relationship, The Arizona Republic reported.
Flores downplayed the stalker description, saying Alexander was inviting Arias to his home and the phone calls between them 'were back and forth. According to court records filed by Arias' attorneys, Alexander persuaded her to come to his home on June 4, They claim the couple had sex, then took provocative photographs of each other. The couple had met at a work conference in Las Vegas in September and began speaking on the phone every day. Court records show they exchanged as many as 82, emails.
Story: Arias offered investigators three different versions of events ranging from her denial of being at the scene of the crime to claims of self-defense. Offensive terms: Prosecutors presented emails in court in which Travis Alexander called Arias a 'slut' and a 'whore'. They started dating in February and, because Alexander was a Mormon, Arias chose to be baptized into the church.
But they broke up in June , with Arias telling police jealousy on both sides was to blame. In December , Alexander began dating another girl and allegedly told friends that Arias became so jealous that she slashed the tyres on his car twice. In June , Alexander told friends he thought Arias might have hacked into his Facebook account and told her to stay away.
The claims come as RadarOnline revealed a tragic post on Alexander's blog about his fear of dating an 'axe murderer' and his desire to get married. Accused: Jodi Arias, 32, faces the death penalty after allegedly murdering her ex-boyfriend, right. Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias were involved in a rough sexual relationship before the death of Alexander in June He wrote that he hated 'desperately trying to find out if my date has an axe murderer penned up inside of her and knowing she is wondering the same thing about me'.
In jail: Arias claimed she had nothing to do with the murder but later said it was out of self defense. At first Arias denied being at his house the day he was killed, yet police found a camera in Alexander's washing machine containing graphic pictures of the pair having sex. The water-logged camera, which belonged to Alexander, had been damaged in the washing machine, but the Mesa police crime lab was able to recover images, some of which had been deleted.
Among those deleted were pictures showing Alexander posing naked in the shower at 5. Later photos showed him bleeding while on the floor. The camera also contained pictures of Arias posing naked on Alexander's bed at 1. On June 9, his friends went to his upscale home after he had failed to return their calls. They found him dead in his shower and his body was ' well into the decomposition process'. Wounds show that Alexander attempted to fight back, court records show. An autopsy found he sustained 27 puncture wounds and one gunshot wound, with the bullet found in his left cheek.
Investigators also found a bloody left palm print with Arias' DNA on the bathroom wall. The prosecution argued that since a. Arias took the stand in her own defense on February 4, , testifying for a total of 18 days; the sheer length of time Arias spent on the stand was described by criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos in a report compiled by the Associated Press "Crimesider Staff" as "unprecedented".
On the first day of her day testimony, she told of being violently abused by her parents beginning when she was approximately seven years old. Arias testified that she rented a car in Redding because a budget website gave her two options, one to the north and one to the south, and her brother lived in Redding. On her second day on the stand, Arias said that their sex life included oral sex and anal sex; she said the anal sex was painful for her the first time they experienced it together and that while she considered oral sex and anal sex to be real sex, Alexander did not and he believed these forms of sexual activity, in contrast to vaginal sex, were technically not against Mormon rules.
She said that they eventually had vaginal sex, but less often. A phone sex tape was played, in which Alexander said he wanted to zip tie her to a tree while she was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. She testified that Alexander secretly found young boys and girls sexually attractive and she tried to help him with these urges.
Arias testified that her relationship with Alexander became increasingly physically and emotionally abusive, some of which caused Travis' sister to continuously roll her eyes and shake her head in disbelief.
Arias said that Alexander shook her while saying "I'm fucking sick of you", then began "screaming at me", after which he "body slammed me on the floor at the foot of his bed" and taunted her, saying "don't act like that hurts", before he called her a bitch and kicked her in the ribs.
Afterward, Arias said "he went to kick me again, and I put my hand out. According to Arias, the dysfunction of their relationship reached its climax when she killed Alexander in self-defense after he became enraged following a day of sex and a gun accident, forcing her to fight for her life. This was the third different account of how Alexander's death had occurred that Arias had offered police, which both prosecutors and observers felt severely damaged Arias' credibility as a witness, a sentiment later echoed by jurors upon the completion of the guilt phase.
Arias addressed comments she made in a September television interview that had been played earlier in the trial. In the interview, she had said: "No jury is going to convict me You can mark my words on that. So I was extremely confident that no jury would convict me, because I didn't expect any of you to be here. At the end of the guilt phase, the jury's foreman, William Zervakos, expressed an opinion common to both jury members and courtroom observers when he told ABC's Good Morning America that Arias' testimony didn't do her any good.
I think she was not a good witness," he said. Starting March 14, psychologist Richard Samuels testified for the defense for nearly 6 days. He said Arias was likely suffering from acute stress at the time of the killing, sending her body into a "fight or flight" mode to defend herself, which caused her brain to stop retaining memory.
In response to a juror question asking whether this scenario could occur even if this was a premeditated murder, as the prosecution contended, he responded: "Is it possible? Is it probable? Prosecutor Juan Martinez attacked Samuel's credibility, accusing him of forming a relationship with Arias and being biased. Samuels had previously testified he had compassion for Arias. Beginning on March 26, Alyce LaViolette, a psychotherapist who specializes in domestic violence, testified that Arias was a victim of domestic abuse, and that most victims don't tell anyone about abuse because they feel ashamed and humiliated.
LaViolette summarised emails from Alexander's close friends "They have basically advised Ms. Arias to move on from the relationship.. Alexander has been abusive to women. Instead, DeMarte said Arias suffered from borderline personality disorder, showing signs of immaturity and an "unstable sense of identity.
On April 24, in response to previous testimony given by Arias about buying a five-gallon gas can from a Walmart store in Salinas, California, on June 3, , that she returned on the same day, the prosecution called Amanda Webb, a Walmart employee from the only Walmart in Salinas, to the stand.
The employee said she had reviewed all of the records for that store for June 3, and found no return of a five-gallon gas can; while there was a record of such a can being sold on that date, there was no record of any gas can return subsequently for over a week, according to Ms. The final defense witness was psychologist Dr. Robert Geffner, who said that DeMarte's borderline diagnosis was "not appropriate" and that all tests taken by Arias since her arrest pointed toward an anxiety disorder stemming from trauma.
He also said the tests indicated that she answered questions honestly, without lying. Horn who testified further on the gunshot wound, and called Dr. Jill Hayes, a forensic neuro-psychologist, who disputed Geffner's testimony that the MMPI test was not geared toward diagnosing borderline personality disorder, concluding a long day in court at p. In closing arguments on May 4, Arias' defense argued that the premeditation theory didn't make sense.
The relationship, the relationship of chaos, that ended in chaos as well. There is nothing about what happened on June 4th in that bathroom that looks planned Couldn't it also be that after everything they went through in that relationship, that she simply snapped?
Ultimately, if Miss Arias is guilty of any crime at all, it is the crime of manslaughter and nothing more. Nothing indicates that this is anything less than a slaughter. There was no way to appease this woman who just wouldn't leave him alone," he said. Arias' day testimony added to a very long defense portion of the guilt phase of the trial, which led to problems with retention of jury members.
On April 3, a member of the jury was dismissed for "misconduct". The defense team asked for a mistrial, which the judge denied. On April 12, another juror was excused for health reasons. A third juror was dismissed on April 25 after being arrested for a DUI offense. On May 8, , after 15 hours of deliberation, Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder.
Out of twelve jurors, five jurors found her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, and seven jurors found her guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder. As the guilty verdict was read, Arias struggled to repress tears as Alexander's family smiled and hugged each other. Several people who had gathered outside the courtroom began celebrating by cheering and chanting.
Following the first-degree murder conviction, the prosecution was required to convince the jury that the murder was "cruel, heinous, or depraved" in order for them to determine that Arias was eligible for the death penalty. The aggravation phase of the trial started on May 15, The only witness was the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.
Arias' attorneys, who had repeatedly asked to step down from the case, gave only brief opening statements and closing arguments, in which they said the adrenaline rushing through Alexander's body may have prevented him from feeling much pain during his death.
Prosecutor Martinez showed photos of the corpse and crime scene to the jury, then paused for two minutes of silence to illustrate how long he said it took for Alexander to die at Arias' hands. After less than three hours of consideration, the jury determined that Arias was eligible for the death penalty.
The penalty phase began on May 16, , when prosecutors called Alexander's family members to offer victim impact statements, in an effort to convince the jury that Arias's crime merited a death sentence.
On May 21, , Arias offered an allocution, during which she pleaded for a life sentence. Arias acknowledged that her plea for life was a reversal of remarks she made to a TV reporter shortly after her conviction, when she said she preferred the death penalty. At one point, she held up a white T-shirt with the word "survivor" written across it, telling the jurors that she would sell the clothing and donate all proceeds to victims of domestic abuse.
She also said she would donate her hair to Locks of Love while in prison, and had already done so three times while in jail. That evening, in a joint jailhouse interview with The Arizona Republic, 12 News and NBC's Today show, Arias said she didn't know whether the jury would come back with life or death. I was hoping they would see things for what they are. I felt really awful for my family and what they were thinking.
On May 23, , the sentencing phase of Arias's trial resulted in a hung jury, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial for that phase. CNN reported the vote was 8 to 4 in favor of death. After the mistrial was declared and the jury discharged, the jury foreman stated that he believed Arias was mentally abused, but that had not been enough to excuse her crime. He also said, "I think 18 days hurt her, I think she was not a good witness.
We're charged with presuming innocence, right? But she was on the stand for so long, there were so many contradicting stories. He said he was confident an impartial jury could be seated, but it was possible that lawyers and the victim's family could agree to scrap the trial in favor of a life sentence with no parole.
Arias had said "I don't think there is an untainted jury pool anywhere in the world right now. That's what it feels like. But I still believe in the system to a degree, so we'll just go through that if that happens. It is not incumbent upon Ms. Arias' defense counsel to resolve this case. The penalty phase of the trial is ongoing. A tweet sent on Arias' behalf indicated she may be considering a plea deal.
On October 22, , Arias filed a motion requesting that Nurmi be replaced as her lead counsel. Arias met with the prosecution to discuss a settlement on October 24, During the trial, defense attorneys filed for mistrial in January, April and May Arias' lawyers argued in January that Detective Esteban Flores, the lead Mesa police detective on the case, perjured himself during a pretrial hearing aimed at determining whether the death penalty should be considered an option for jurors.
Flores testified at the hearing that based on his own review of the scene, and a discussion with the medical examiner, it was apparent that Alexander had been shot in the forehead first. Contrary to Flores' testimony at the hearing, the medical examiner told jurors the gunshot probably would have incapacitated Alexander; given his extensive defense wounds, including stab marks and slashes to his hands, arms and legs, it was not likely the shot came first.
Flores denied perjury and said during his trial testimony that he just misunderstood what the medical examiner told him. In April, the defense claimed the prosecutor had acted inappropriately and said the case resembled a modern-day equivalent to the Salem witch trials. In the motion the defense team contended "the prosecutorial misconduct has infested these proceedings with a level of unfairness that cannot be cured by any others means.
The motion also alleged that Martinez chose to release evidence and to pose for pictures with his fans on the steps of the courthouse. The attorneys claimed Arias was in a position where she could not present a complete defense and the only constitutional course was to declare a mistrial.
On May 20, , defense attorneys again filed for mistrial. The motion alleged that a defense witness who had been due to testify Friday began receiving threats, threats that included threats on her life if she were to testify on Ms. Arias' behalf, and that on May 19, , the witness contacted counsel for Ms. Arias stating that she was no longer willing to testify due to these threats.
The motion continued, "It should also be noted that these threats follow those made to Alyce LaViolette, a record of which was made ex-parte and under seal. On May 29, , the Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed three months earlier, also refused by the mid-level Arizona Court of Appeals.
Nurmi had asked the high court to throw out the aggravating factor of cruelty because the judge had allowed it to go forward based on a different theory of how the murder occurred.
The state had originally claimed that Arias first shot Alexander; based on that theory, Stephens ruled there was probable cause to find the crime had been committed in an especially cruel manner, an aggravating factor under state law. Right before trial, prosecutor Martinez revealed his new theory that Arias had shot Alexander after he was already dead.
The case featured on an episode of 48 Hours Mystery: Picture Perfect in , an interview which, for the first time in the history of 48 Hours, was used as evidence in a death penalty trial.
No jury is going to convict me. The Huffington Post reported that the Arias case "instantly commanded headlines around the world". The Associated Press said the case was a "circus", a "runaway train" and said the case "grew into a worldwide sensation as thousands followed the trial via a live, unedited Web feed". They added that the trial garnered "daily coverage from cable news networks and spawned a virtual cottage industry for talk shows" and, at the courthouse, "the entire case devolved into a circus-like spectacle attracting dozens of enthusiasts each day to the courthouse as they lined up for a chance to score just a few open public seats in the gallery"; "For its fans, the Arias trial became a live daytime soap opera.
During the trial, public figures freely expressed their opinions. He also offered Arias legal advice on how she could avoid the maximum sentence. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer told reporters after an unrelated press event that she believed Arias to be guilty.
HLN staff and their commentators compared the case to the Casey Anthony case for the perceived similarities between Anthony and Arias and the emotions that the cases incited in the general public. The cable network sent out a press release titled "HLN No. During that time period, HLN out-delivered the competition among both total viewers 2,, million and 25—54 demo viewers , HLN also ranked No.
Created for and distributed by the Lifetime Network, the film premiered June 22, In late January , artwork drawn by Arias began selling on eBay. The seller was her brother; he claimed that the profits went towards covering the family's travel expenses to the trial and "better food" for Arias while she was in jail. On April 11, USA Today reported that during the testimony of defense witness Alyce LaViolette, tweets and other social media posts attacked her reputation.
There were more than of them, panning the book and calling LaViolette a fraud and a disgrace. Attorney Anne Bremner, who said she received death threats after she provided legal counsel in the Amanda Knox case, told The Huffington Post that the kind of online ridicule LaViolette received could affect attorneys and witnesses in high-profile trials.
And when Arias was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder, Twitter and Facebook exploded with reaction. Much of it was aimed at Arias, though plenty of people tweeted at the media coverage, such as the antics of HLN host Nancy Grace.
During the trial, hardcore followers of the proceedings were accused of trying to use social media to intimidate witnesses, or otherwise influence the outcome. Whether it had any effect is questionable, but it's a notable development. At one point, Internet denizen photoshopped his face onto a crime-scene photo of Alexander dead in the shower of his Mesa home.
I know people were aggravated with him constantly filing for mistrial, but you have to make and preserve the record for federal review on appeal. If you don't file for mistrial, the appeals courts will say you waived it. On May 28, Radar Online reported the jury foreman had been receiving threats ever since the panel deadlocked on the sentencing phase, and now his son was claiming he's receiving death threats. Some person had sent him a threatening message complete with his email address, full name, and phone number which at the very least means that this guy should retake Hate Mail I also read some comments on an article online about my dad.
The Twitter account in Arias' name is operated by Arias' friends on her behalf. On June 22, from that account, Arias tweeted, "Just don't know yet if I will plea or appeal.
Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder; death penalty possible. CNN -- After months of twists and turns in a dramatic trial rife with sex, lies and digital images, an Arizona jury Wednesday found Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander.
Jurors will return to court Thursday for the aggravation phase of the trial -- an important step in the next key decision they face: determining whether Arias lives or dies.
In a television interview minutes after the verdict was announced, Arias said she'd prefer a death sentence. The comments prompted authorities to place Arias on suicide watch in an Arizona jail, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Arias was stoic in court Wednesday. Her eyes briefly welled up with tears as a clerk announced that the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder for killing Alexander in June Friend: "We have waited five years through the circus".
Alexander's sisters cried and consoled each other after the verdict was read in the packed courtroom. Crowds outside the courthouse erupted in cheers as news of the jury's decision spread. He was such a light to this world," she said. But the trial isn't over yet, and Arias -- who testified for 18 days during the trial -- could speak to jurors again in court. In the next step of the case, known as the aggravation phase, prosecutors will have a chance to present additional evidence and jurors will decide whether Alexander's death was caused in a cruel manner.
If they decide that was the case, the trial would move to the penalty phase, where jurors would decide whether Arias should receive a death sentence. If the jury decides on a death sentence, the judge is bound by that decision. But if the jury decides against the death penalty, the judge would have two options: sentencing Arias to life in prison without the possibility of parole, or sentencing her to life in prison with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.
There are currently people on death row in Arizona. If Arias is given a sentence of death, she would be the fourth woman on death row in the state. As jurors prepare for the sentencing phase of the criminal trial, family members of Alexander are preparing to file a civil wrongful death lawsuit, attorney Jay Beckstead told reporters outside the courthouse.
Alexander's siblings won't speak publicly about the case until Arias is sentenced, Beckstead said, adding that the family is grateful to prosecutors and detectives for their work. Since Friday, jurors had been deliberating evidence surrounding a key question: Did Arias kill ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in self-defense? Or did she commit murder? Alexander was stabbed repeatedly, shot and nearly decapitated five years ago. Arias says she killed him in self-defense after he attacked her, but the grisly slaying caused even some anti-domestic violence advocates to doubt her case.
The jury, which has been in court since January 2, heard closing arguments on Friday. Jurors deliberated for 15 hours and five minutes. As they took a lunch break after revealing they had reached a verdict Wednesday, some jurors were seen smiling and breathing sighs of relief. One juror returning from lunch wiped her eyes. A massive crowd swarmed around the Maricopa County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon. Some onlookers said they had been following the trial for months. The case has drawn worldwide attention and followers lined up daily for courtroom seats.
In the trial, both sides dramatically presented their arguments with details about Arias' love affair with Alexander. And with regard to being a good man, well, she slit his throat as a reward for being a good man. And in terms of these blessings, well, she knocked the blessings out of him by putting a bullet in his head.
There is no question about it. The million-dollar question is what would have forced her to do it? Willmott said Arias was the victim of a controlling, psychologically abusive relationship, and Alexander considered Arias "his dirty little secret. Martinez accused Arias of playing the victim. He alleged she staged the crime scene to make it look like self-defense.
He also accused her of actively seeking to profit from her media attention. That's something Alexander's family hopes to stop with its civil lawsuit, Beckstead said Wednesday. Arias told KSAZ that longevity runs in her family, and that the worst possible outcome in the case would be a life sentence without parole. Several members' of the Arias family were at the jail where Arias was being held Wednesday night, waiting for a chance to meet with her. Mother Sandra Arias said she had heard about her daughter's post-verdict TV interview, but hadn't watched it.
While serving time, Sandra Arias said, her daughter "can do a lot of good for others. Jodi Arias 'was obsessed with Travis Alexander, 30, and stalked him after he broke up with her and started dating someone else'. Arias initially denied seeing him until police discovered naked photos of her on his camera taken on the day of his murder. Arias told police that she and Alexander exchanged their online passwords because they distrusted one another.
Jodi Arias, 32, is on trial for allegedly murdering year-old Travis Alexander by stabbing him in the shower, slitting his throat and then shooting him in the face in June , months after the two had broken up. Arias, a photographer who had dated Alexander for nearly five months in , has been in jail since her arrest. She has pleaded not-guilty to first degree murder. If convicted, Arias could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row. On Thursday, jurors heard testimony from lead detective Esteban Flores and a recording of a conversation he had with Arias in June On the call, Arias denied being involved in the death and calmly told the detective that she had not seen Alexander in two months.
According to Flores, the defendant told him during questioning that she and Alexander were so distrustful of each other that they shared their Facebook, MySpace and Gmail passwords in a failed bid to patch up their unraveling relationship, ABC News reported. During the first full day of testimony, the prosecution introduced emails between the couple.
Flores testified that the communique included the year-old Mormon writing to Arias: 'I think I was little more than a dildo with a heartbeat to you. Attorneys in the trial painted opposing pictures of Alexander, with prosecutors describing him as a person of faith and a 'good man,' and the defense saying he was violent and abusive. Prosecutors argue Arias was a jealous woman who brutally attacked Alexander after he tried to end their relationship.
Jennifer Willmott, an attorney for Arias, told jurors her client acted in self-defense after Alexander 'lunged at Jodi in anger' in his suburban Mesa home after she dropped his new camera. He knocked her to the ground in the bathroom where there was a struggle,' Willmott said. Since the murder, investigators said Arias has changed her story three times. Initially, the woman denied being at the scene of the crime until officials found her bloody hand-print on the floor of Alexander's bathroom.
Arias later told police that two masked intruders attacked her and killed Alexander, and she didn't call police because she was scared. She then offered an alternative version of events, claiming that she killed Alexander in self-defense because he got violent. Alexander had told friends Arias had become too possessive and was acting like a stalker, so he ended their relationship to see other women.
But phone and email records indicate the pair continued to carry on a sexual relationship, The Arizona Republic reported. Flores downplayed the stalker description, saying Alexander was inviting Arias to his home and the phone calls between them 'were back and forth. Arias' attorneys have said she was not the sexual instigator in the relationship and pointed to provocative photos Alexander had sent her in an attempt to paint him as a sexual deviant who sought to control his on-again, off-again lover.
Willmott showed the jury a T-shirt she says he made Arias wear emblazoned with the phrase 'Travis Alexander's' across the front. According to court records filed by Arias' attorneys, Alexander persuaded her to come to his home on June 4, They claim the couple had sex, then took provocative photographs of each other, one even showing Alexander posing naked in the shower.
Authorities said a camera found in the washing machine at Alexander's home contained a memory card with the photos, including one taken minutes after Alexander posed naked showing his bloody body in the shower. Another photo allegedly showed Arias dragging Alexander across the floor.
The couple had met at a work conference in Las Vegas in September and began speaking on the phone every day. Court records show they exchanged as many as 82, emails. They started dating in February and, because Alexander was a Mormon, Arias chose to be baptized into the church. But they broke up in June , with Arias telling police jealousy on both sides was to blame. In December , Alexander began dating another girl and allegedly told friends that Arias became so jealous that she slashed the tyres on his car twice.
In June , Alexander told friends he thought Arias might have hacked into his Facebook account and told her to stay away. Yet on June 4, she visited his home and they had sex before he was murdered. She later told police that they had maintained a secret sexual relationship despite breaking up, ABCreported. At first she denied being at his house the day he was killed, yet police found a camera in Alexander's washing machine containing graphic pictures of the pair having sex.
The water-logged camera, which belonged to Alexander, had been damaged in the washing machine, but the Mesa police crime lab was able to recover images, some of which had been deleted. Among those deleted were pictures showing Alexander posing naked in the shower at 5. Later photos showed him bleeding while on the floor. The camera also contained pictures of Arias posing naked on Alexander's bed at 1.
On June 9, his friends went to his upscale home after he had failed to return their calls. They found him dead in his shower and his body was 'well into the decomposition process'. Wounds show that Alexander attempted to fight back, court records show. An autopsy found he sustained 27 puncture wounds and one gunshot wound, with the bullet found in his left cheek.
Investigators also found a bloody left palm print with Arias' DNA on the bathroom wall.
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