Find out Why a Judge Had to Declare a Mistrial in Jodi Arias’ Murder Case

Investigation Discovery has revisited the case of Jodi Arias — the woman who was tried and convicted for the 2008 murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander — with the new series Jodi Arias: An American Murder Mystery and true crime aficionados’ heads are still buzzing with all of the gory details. One of the major components of Jodi’s case was the fact that shortly after she was convicted of first-degree murder, a judge almost immediately declared that it was a mistrial.

But the reason why it was declared a mistrial doesn’t really have anything to do with Jodi at all. It was mainly because of the jury. In 2013, when Jodi’s case was still in the penalty phase, an Arizona judge decided to declare a mistrial because even though the jury believed that Jodi was guilty, they were deadlocked and could not decide whether she deserved to get the death penalty or not, according to CNN. While the verdict still stood, they would have to choose a new jury to decide on the sentence.

Deal of the Day

Only $12! — (And No One Will Know They Aren’t Designer) View Deal

Jodi and her defense team immediately went to trial again and the retrial lasted for another two years, and in March 2015, it resulted in another hung jury. Judge Sherry Stephens was forced to decide on Jodi’s fate, according to ABC News. Jodi would officially be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole which is the opposite of what Jodi hoped to receive.

“Well the worst outcome for me would be natural life. I would much rather die sooner than later,” she said in a 2015 interview with FOX 10 Phoenix. “Longevity runs in my family and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place. I’m pretty healthy, I don’t smoke so I would probably live a long time, so that’s not something I’m looking forward to. I said years ago that I would rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom sooner — as soon as I can get it.”