Jodi Arias Sentencing Retrial Update: Mesa Police Detective Testifies, Judge Postpones Decision on Death Penalty
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens was expected to decide on Monday if the death penalty should be taken off the table for convicted murderer Jodi Arias. This was requested by Arias' defense team last Friday, Jan. 9, and the judge promised to rule by 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Instead, Judge Stephens put the decision on hold.
Legal expert Dwayne Cates said that the judge is carefully considering her decision.
"Because this is a very high profile case, she wants to be very careful about what she does," said Cates to CBS affiliate KPHO.com. "Also, this is going to be in the Court of Appeals for the next 20 years. When she makes a ruling she wants to make sure she's legally correct, and she has a good basis for what she does. I believe she is just being careful."
On Monday, a Mesa police detective Esteban Flores testified that during the original trial, no pornographic material was found on the computer of murdered victim, Travis Alexander, Arias' former boyfriend. Arias' attorney Jennifer Wilmott accused Flores of altering the files on Alexander's computer by improperly bringing the device out of sleep mode. The defense went on to claim that Mesa police and prosecutors mishandled computer evidence of porn on Alexander's computer with Arias' defense attorneys.
Prosecutors told the judge that there was no intentional mishandling of evidence and that Arias' attorneys made no real effort to subpoena the 14 witnesses who might have come forward to testify.
Meanwhile, the transcripts of Arias' secret testimony behind closed doors is said to be released on Tuesday. Arias' trial will continue on Wednesday morning.
