By Tim Gaynor
PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona jury reached a verdict on Wednesday in the trial of Jodi Arias, the California woman accused of killing her ex-boyfriend in a sensational case involving "sex, lies and dirty little secrets" that has snared media attention since January.
The Maricopa County Superior Court said the jury verdict will be read at 1:30 p.m. local time/4:30 p.m. EDT.
Arias, 32, could face the death penalty if convicted of first degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed multiple times and his throat had been slashed.
Arias admitted to shooting Alexander, but said it had been in self-defense after he attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photos of him in the shower.
The jury reached its verdict on the third full day of deliberations. Judge Sherry Stephens gave them the case on Friday afternoon, then adjourned for the weekend.
Stephens had instructed jurors that they could consider the charges of first- and second-degree murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter, and that they should reach a unanimous verdict. First-degree murder requires proof of premeditation.
The trial, which began in early January and was punctuated by graphic testimony and evidence including a sex tape, was streamed live on the Internet and drew widespread media attention.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Juan Martinez painted a picture of Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy. He said she had meticulously planned and carried out the killing.
"Nothing indicates that this is anything less than a slaughter," he told jurors in his summing up on Friday, asking them to return a verdict of felony first-degree murder.
Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi argued that Arias had suffered physical and emotional abuse by Alexander during a chaotic relationship defined by "sex, lies, and dirty little secrets."
He denied the killing had been premeditated and said Arias had snapped in the "sudden heat of passion" after Alexander attacked her. If she is "guilty of anything at all," he said, "it is the crime of manslaughter."
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Sandra Maler, Cynthia Johnston and Richard Chang)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-jury-reaches-verdict-jodi-arias-murder-trial-190638691.html
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