Jodi Arias Trial Update News 2014: Third Juror Dismissed From Death Penalty Trial After Getting Arrested
More details have emerged about the latest juror to be dismissed from the Jodi Arias sentencing retrial.
Last Tuesday, Judge Sherry Stephens announced at the end of a long afternoon break that Juror No. 3 was dismissed from the retrial without giving an explanation. It turns out that the juror, who has been identified as Melissa Lenette Garcia, was kicked off the case due to a recent arrest.
According to RadarOnline.com, the 36-year-old woman was arrested on Black Friday and charged with issuing a bad check, making her the third juror to get the boot from the high profile murder trial.
In October, one of the 12 original jurors was let go due to an ongoing family emergency on the first day of the retrial. The next day, a second juror was removed for talking to a reporter that she thought was HLN talk show host Nancy Grace.
The incident took place on Oct. 22 during a morning break as Beth Karas, a former on-camera reporter and commentator for HLN, was being interviewed by 12 News about the case. After her interview was over, Juror No. 9 asked Karas if she was Nancy Grace, a nationally renowned television personality and a vocal opponent to Arias, reports AZ Central. In response, Karas told her that she used to work with Grace and then reported the incident to the court.
Juror No. 9 was then immediately dropped from the case and Maricopa County Judge Sherry Stephens reiterated to the remaining jurors that they are prohibited from discussing the case, watching TV, consuming news media and using social media, reports USA Today.
Altogether 12 jurors and six alternates were selected from a pool of hundreds of people earlier this month. However, there will be a mistrial if there are less than 12 jurors to serve on the panel.
Jodi Arias, 34, was convicted of the first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in May 2013. According to medical examiners, Arias stabbed him 27 times, primarily in the back, torso and heart in his Phoenix home in 2008. She also slit Alexander's throat from ear to ear, nearly decapitating him, and shot him in the face before she dragged his bloodied corpse to the shower.
Although she was found guilty in the case, the jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision on her sentencing. As a result, the retrial will determine whether she should be sentenced to death, life in prison or life with a chance of release after serving 25 years.
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