Live blog: Was Jodi Arias cruel?
By Graham Winch
updated 4:27 PM EDT, Thu May 09, 2013

Even though Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday, her trial is far from over: The jury will now have to decide if she murdered Travis Alexander in a cruel manner. This phase will determine if Arias will face the death penalty.

The aggravation phase of Arias' trial begins Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

Here is peek at HLN's Beth Karas' reporters notebook. She details what to expect from the aggravation phase:

• Prosecutor Juan Martinez’s opening statement
  
• Defense’s opening statement (if they choose)
  
• Martinez puts on evidence: Dr. Kevin Horn (medical examiner)
  
• Defense puts on evidence, if they choose. (This is not expected.)
  
• Instruction on the law by Judge Sherry Stephens
  
• Martinez’s closing argument
  
• Defense’s closing argument
  
• Martinez’s rebuttal closing
  
• Jury deliberates. They must decide if the aggravator of cruelty was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
  
• Jury's decision is a verdict.

The jurors' verdict form includes this language:

____ Proven
____ Not proven

If their verdict is “proven,” the case moves to the final phase: the penalty phase. At this juncture, the jury will deliberate a third time on whether Arias will receive the death penalty.

If their verdict is “not proven,” the case is over. Jurors will be excused. The judge will set a sentencing date within 30-60 days. Stephens will then decide if Arias gets life without parole or life with parole eligibility after 25 years.

HLN is live-blogging the Jodi Arias trial. Click here to read HLN's live blog of the moment Arias was convicted. Read below for minute-by-minute updates from the trial (Best read from the bottom up):

4:25 p.m. ET: Court was canceled today, and no reason was provided. Court will resume Wednesday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

...more at link
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/09 ... rias-cruel

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Probably, based on that interview last night, the defense has asked for a competency hearing before the aggravation phase. Until she is ruled competent and will help her lawyers, everything will stop.

So far, the "Aggravation Phase" has been quite successful - everyone is severely AGGRAVATED by the shenanigans!

I think this is a win-win for Jodi. She LOVES to CONTINUE tormenting Travis' family. They got up, all dressed, feeling good about the verdict, etc. went to the next phase, ready, and JODI can't STAND THAT!! Dragging it out longer... more expenses and grief for them! She LOVES doing that to any Alexander.

When she said "No jury will ever convict me, and you can mark my words on that!" - I thought "This woman is very very sick. This is going to be very interesting." That's when I decided to get involved in this case. I knew very little about the murder - or Travis but knew SHE was going to be a doozie!

Gads if she got Napoleon, she would have KICKED him too and tormented him as she did her own dogs. Thank God Travis had Napoleon willed to Deanna along with his books.

MaryEllen Resendez @maryellenabc15 32m
Court officials say today's proceedings were sealed...but we know there's something the jodiarias family didn't want seen.


MC Superior Court @courtpio 33m
The State v Jodi Arias trial will resume with the aggravation phase on 5/15 at 10am. Today’s court proceedings were sealed.

Maybe because it is mental/medical? I'm thinking she has better facilities now because she is in the psych unit at Lower Buckeye Facility now. She was sent there because of Sheriff Joe's order. She gets no more press conferences and shouldn't have been allowed the first one. She started arranging that on Sunday with Fox.

She really, really needs to be STOPPED!

You're probably right about the Psych Unit medical considerations. HIPPA?

Hope Jodi is getting the full Sheriff Arpaio treatment - in her interview, she said she wanted to die to be set free, so he threw her in the psych ward which ironically, is what she has said several times that she didn't want to happen to her!

I saw the sheriff give an interview about her. He said she has given no one any problems while in jail. He also brought up her American Idol prison win. He was more or less praising her. He's on the road to eating his words with this nut. He doesn't need this nut killing herself under his watch. He is having enough trouble with the Feds and his immigration policies.

Beth started to say something about each juror being called into chambers and the BIG mouth JVM cut her off.

Maybe they were asked if they can stay with the case over this delay?

This defense team knows no bounds!! Look what they want with the Victim Impact Statements!!! omg, please, no!!!!!!!!!!!! Who has ever heard of this happening?


Jodi Arias sentencing update: Court canceled Thursday

Court documents obtained by ABC15 read in part, "Ms. Arias requests that any and all victim impact evidence be presented via videotape so as to prevent any unpredictable outbursts that interfere with the rights due Ms. Arias..."

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_ph ... d-thursday

I can't stand how they all cut off the most important statements!

Also, I heard that Beth Karas said that Dr. Horn had a scheduling conflict and couldn't make court for Monday or Tuesday and that's why court will reconvene on Wednesday.

Is THIS what that thing did?

Let's see ~

Say "I want to DIE" (because I really DON'T want to DIE!!)

IF you SAY crazy things like that ... she KNOWS maybe they WON'T KILL her.
They can't KILL crazy people.

Depends on the level of CRAZY? If she isn't, why in the Psych ward?
Has a TV in her room now? Cushy.

Delay, delay, delay. Stall, stall, stall.

Nancy said Incompetency... that's where she is headed. Re-evaluated.

OMG! Chutzpah!

What a sense of entitlement!

She reminds me of a washed up movie star who still thinks people adore her - like Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd.

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

I wish she could be on stage somewhere and we could throw rotten FRUIT - TOMATOES at her!!!
How therapeutic that would be!!

Travis was so good. He didn't want to get blood all over everything ... went to the sink to make it go there. He loved his beautiful house.

She is STILL lying about Travis ... hinting about the pedophilia. OMG ... what a twisted monster.

Travis didn't live a double life ... he had a sex life that's all.

The only time I have heard of this is if a family member is out of town and can't travel to court. I think the judge will deny this and not do anything to hurt Travis's family like Jodi wants to do. Jodi's rights ended when she was convicted IMO.

I heard there will be plenty of doctors and nurses there for her to try and bamboozle. I hope she doesn't bend over her jail cell bed for anyone.

This made me laugh so hard - reminded me of when Carole Burnett would do this skit!

"...to not interfere with the rights due Ms. Arias...."

This part made me want to puke! Why would this defense team go there? You know that Jodi didn't know of these tactics - are her lawyers obligated to tell her she can try this?? I don't begrudge the defense lawyers doing their job and defending her, but this is going waaaay too far!

I can only pray you are right about the judge denying this cruel, controlling manuever by Jodi.

Surely she won't be around so many people when she gets to maximum security for her death row cell, will she? This is how Jodi thrives - with people she can manipulate.

No, not on death row. What would be funny if she was sent to a hospital for the criminally insane.