Jodi Arias Trial Update News 2014: Detective Admits Porn Was Found on Travis Alexander Computer in Death Penalty Retrial
A Mesa police detective took the witness stand on day 24 of the Jodi Arias sentencing retrial on Monday. During his testimony, Det. Esteban Flores admitted pornographic files were found on murder victim Travis Alexander's computer.
CBS 5 AZ reported according to Arias' defense team, local police mishandled evidence from Alexander's computer and failed to share the pornographic evidence with defense attorneys. The defense says the files would have helped prove their argument that Alexander was a sexual deviant who emotionally abused Arias, the convicted killer. As a result, they asked the judge to dismiss all charges -- or at least remove the death penalty as a sentencing option -- on the grounds of missing evidence.
While Flores was on the stand, Arias' attorney Jennifer Willmott accused him of altering the files on Alexander's computer when he took the computer out of sleep mode.
However, prosecutor Juan Martinez asked "rapid-fire" questions in order to establish the detective did nothing wrong and was simply following standard procedure, reported Fox 10 Phoenix. Prosecutors also told the judge police did not intentionally tamper with evidence.
On Monday, Judge Sherry Stephens decided to delay her ruling on whether or not to take the death penalty off the table, which would bring Arias' penalty phrase retrial to an abrupt stop. The judge said she will postpone the decision until after all of the computer witnesses finish testifying.
Meanwhile, officials are expected to release a transcript on Tuesday of the secret testimony given during closed courtroom back in October, reported 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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