The judge in Jodi Arias' sentencing retrial is postponing the release of the secret testimony Arias gave in a closed-courtroom last October.

The incident occurred on Oct. 30 when Judge Sherry Stephens kicked the media and public out of the Maricopa County Superior Court without explanation just before a "mystery" witness – later confirmed to actually be Arias – took the stand in the high profile murder case, AZ Central reports.

In response, a media coalition filed an appeal to re-open the public courtroom. The attorney representing the media argued that conducting a trial behind closed doors and shrouded in secrecy would set a new precedent in the U.S. legal system. The Arizona Court of Appeals agreed and overruled Judge Stephens' decision to block the media and public from hearing the testimony.

It was later revealed that Arias refused to testify in open court out of fear because she received death threats. Her lawyers also claimed that media coverage of her testimony would affect her ability to think and answer questions in a manner "she truly means."

In addition to overturning Judge Stephens' decision to ban the public from watching Arias's testimony, the Arizona Court of Appeals also ordered the transcripts to be released.

However, Stephens announced that she will not make the transcripts available for release until the state Supreme Court rules on a motion filed by the defense to pause the retrial while they appeal the Court of Appeals' ruling, reports the Associated Press.

Although Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder last May in the death of her ex-boyfriend, jurors in her first trial 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.

According to medical examiners, Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back, torso and heart in his Phoenix home. 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 and took pictures of him.

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