Prosecutor misconduct alleged in Jodi Arias murder appeal
Associated Press JACQUES BILLEAUD,Associated Press 5 hours ago U.S.
Prosecutor misconduct alleged in Jodi Arias murder appeal
Associated Press JACQUES BILLEAUD,Associated Press 5 hours ago
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FILE - In this March 5, 2015, file photo, Maricopa County Prosecutor Juan Martinez speaks during a news conference to discuss the outcome of the Jodi Arias' sentencing retrial in Phoenix. The Arizona Court of Appeals is scheduled on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, to hear Arias' appeal of her conviction. Martinez is heavily criticized in Arias' appeal. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers are scheduled to make arguments Thursday before the Arizona Court of Appeals as Jodi Arias seeks to overturn her murder conviction in the 2008 killing of her former boyfriend.
Arias argues a prosecutor's misconduct and a judge's failure to control news coverage during the case deprived her of the right to a fair trial.
A lawyer defending the conviction on the state's behalf said overwhelming evidence of Arias' guilt should outweigh mistakes that were made by the prosecutor who won the case.
Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed she acted in self-defense after he attacked her. He was stabbed nearly 30 times, had his throat slit and was shot in the head.
The guilt phase of Arias' trial ended in 2013 with jurors convicting her of murder but deadlocking on punishment. A second sentencing trial ended in early 2015 with another jury deadlock, leading a judge to sentence Arias to prison for life.
The case turned into a media circus as salacious and violent details about Arias and Alexander were broadcast live around the world.
Arias had actively courted the spotlight since her 2008 arrest. She did interviews on TV's "48 Hours" and "Inside Edition" after her arrest and was on the witness stand for several weeks during the trial.
A judge who handles disciplinary cases against attorneys this summer threw out allegations that Martinez made sexually inappropriate comments to female law clerks in his office and had inappropriate contact with a woman who had been dismissed from Arias' jury and later texted nude photos of herself to the prosecutor.
The remaining allegations against Martinez in the attorney disciplinary case included claims that the prosecutor leaked another juror's identity to a blogger with whom Martinez was having a sexual relationship.
Martinez was reprimanded by the county prosecutor's office in 2018 for inappropriate and unprofessional conduct toward female law clerks.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/court-hear-appeal-jodi-arias-054208224.html