After a five-month retrial, jurors in the Jodi Arias murder case deadlocked on whether to sentence the convicted killer to death or life in prison for the brutal murder of her lover, Travis Alexander, in 2008. As a result, Arias will automatically receive a prison sentence rather than execution.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens declared a mistrial on Thursday after jurors failed to reach a consensus on sentencing the 34-year-old former waitress.

This marks the second time that the jury deadlocked on her punishment since her original trial also ended in a hung jury in May 2013 after she was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Once lawyers delivered their closing statements, the jurors deliberated for 26.5 hours over a five-day time span. However, they were reportedly split 11 to 1 for the death penalty, according to HLN.

The victim's sister, Samantha, looked visibly upset during Thursday's proceedings and could be heard crying in court after the judge read the verdict aloud. After leaving the courtroom, members of the family were heard saying that "the real justice will be in the afterlife, when Jodi burns in hell," reports USA Today.

According to the Associated Press, attorney Jay Beckstead issued a statement on behalf of Alexander's relatives saying that they are "saddened by the jury's inability to reach a decision on the death penalty. However, they understand the difficulty of the decision, and have nothing but respect for the jury's time."

Following the verdict, Arias' defense attorney Kirk Nurmi spoke to reporters, saying: "Obviously, as I said, during the closing arguments, during the opening statements, and several times during the trial, that the events of June 4, 2008 were a tragedy, and the no verdict ultimately could repair that sadness. I don't think today's victory will repair any sadness or change anything but we hope it can begin the closure process for all those who were affected by that tragedy. Thank you,"

Judge Stephens is set to decide on April 13 whether Arias will get life with or without parole after serving 25 years behind bars.

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